


A Hobbit in Erebor

by batmanandtimelords



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Cultural Differences, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy, Freeform, I wish I did, M/M, Slow Burn, and I don't have his brain to consult, only because some of it isn't known but by Tolkien, set after the book
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-08-02
Packaged: 2018-01-24 05:04:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 22,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1592642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batmanandtimelords/pseuds/batmanandtimelords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the battle of Five Armies, Thorin asks Bilbo to stay with the dwarves in Erebor. Bilbo accepts but, doesn't quite know what he's getting himself into. *Chapter 16 has been revised a little*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Post Battle Talks

Bilbo blinked his round eyes and looked around. Gandalf came rushing towards the small creature. "Come Bilbo, Thorin is injured and wished to see you." Bilbo leaped from his hiding spot and raced as fast as he could after the wizard. They entered a tent to see Thorin splayed across a cot, Balin next to him, bandages in his hands. 

"Thorin, Bilbo is here." Kili muttered to his uncle. The young dwarf motioned to Bilbo to come over. Kili slid from his spot so Bilbo could have it. Bilbo came to the elder dwarf's side. He looked pale, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. Balin pressed more bandages to his side. 

"Thorin you're injured." Bilbo muttered to the dwarf. Thorin chuckled a bit, taking in a harsh breath afterwards. 

"I can see that myself, Bilbo." He told the hobbit. Bilbo looked down at his feet. "Balin says I might make it, huh Balin?" Thorin looked to the old dwarf. Balin looked at Bilbo and shrugged. 

"50/50." The dwarf replied. Thorin turned his blue eyes back to Bilbo. The hobbit shook his head. "There, that's about all I can do." Balin sighed, stepping back. "It's up to you." He told Thorin. "Come on you lot, standing aorund won't make Thorin any better." Balin ushered the horde of dwarves out, Fili and Kili giving him the most trouble. Soon, it was just Thorin and Bilbo. 

"Bilbo... What are you going to do now?" Thorin asked. Bilbo looked to the dwarf, mulling over the question. 

"I figured I'd just go back home to the Shire." Bilbo shrugged his small shoulders. "I hadn't thought that far since the battle." Bilbo told the maybe dying dwarf. Thorin gave another chuckle. 

"If I make it, you should stay here, with us. In Erebor." Thorin seemed awkward to Bilbo. The hobbit smiled inwardly at this. "I mean, you don't have to. It was just a thought." Bilbo laughed at the dwarf. Thorin was confused by this. "Why are you laughing at me?" He asked, strength returning in his voice.

"You sound so awkward. Usually you are very sure of your words." Bilbo explained once he stopped laughing. Thorin settled into quiet. "Perhaps though." Bilbo finally said. Thorin looked at him, confused why the hobbit said that, then he realized why he said that. He smiled at the hobbit and laid his head back down. Bilbo stood up, his small hands shaking a little. "I'll leave you to rest." He muttered, turning to leave. 

"Thank you." Thorin called out. Bilbo looked back, a curious look on his face. "For helping us." Thorin cleared up. Bilbo bowed to him, a stiff one at the waist. 

"Bilbo Baggins, at your service." He smiled at the dwarf before leaving the tent. Thorin watched the smaller man leave before he closed his eyes. He took in long breathes, his heart still thumping on his ribs. Balin came back in a little later, a bowl of soup in his hands. Thorin thanked him for it. Balin lingered though, watching his new king slurp the soup. 

"Bilbo keeps drifting around the tent." Balin told the new king. Thorin set his soup bowl down. 

"He can come in if he wants." Thorin told the old dwarf. Balin snorted as he un-did Thorin's bandages. The gash in his side still wept blood, less than before, a good sign. He changed them and looked back to Thorin's face. 

"Bilbo seems to know that but, he doesn't enter. He thinks you are sleeping still." Balin shook his head. Thorin snorted at the hobbit. 

"Silly little hobbit." He muttered. Balin made a noise of agreement. "Tell him I'm awake and he enter the tent regardless, the same for the lot of them." Thorin told Balin. The old dwarf nodded and exited the tent. A few seconds later, Bilbo entered. Thorin felt himself smile at the hobbit. 

"I didn't know you were awake." Bilbo stammered sheepishly. Thorin chuckled at him again. 

"Silly little hobbit." He repeated. Bilbo ducked his head at the words. 

"I just-" Bilbo raced forward, set a cloth bundle on the cot and dashed out. Thorin cocked his head at the flaps of the tent and shook his head.  _Weird hobbit._ He thought as he opened the bundle. Inside were a few wildflowers and herbs. Thorin knew the herbs were for pain and to bring long, wonderful sleep. He smiled at the thoughtfulness of the little creature. He set them aside and looked at the wildflowers. Just three of them; a blue one, a yellow one and, a white one. For some reason, he liked the white one the most. He set the blue and yellow ones aside, his thick fingers trapping the white one. 

Thorin spun the white flower, watching the petals sweep around his gritty hand. He smirked and set it aside. Fili and Kili entered the tent next, wicked grins on their faces. Thorin sighed teasingly and listened to his nephews speak. His brain flitted away, thinking of the flowers and who brought them to him. 


	2. Chapter 2

A few days after the battle, Balin decided it was safe to move Thorin. Gandalf was gone, wherever the wizard went wasn't meant to be heard by the Company. Bilbo was anxious the day they were going to move Thorin. He helped craft the stretcher that was to carry the new king to him reclaimed kingdom. It was sturdy, able to carry Bombur. Dalin and Bombur lifted their king up and onto the stretcher, a mask of pain twisted on his dark face. Bilbo flitted around them like a spastic butterfly. 

"Bilbo stop fretting." Thorin growled at the small creature. Bilbo halted and turned his dark blue eyes to the dwarf. He stood himself in a corner of the tent while Balin and Óin checked Thorin. Once they gave him the alright to be moved on, Dalin and Bombur started to walk. Fìli and Kìli walked alongside their uncle, making jokes and telling stories to distract him. The rest of the Company trailed behind, ready to defend the hurt king. No one was absolutely that they were safe yet, they were afraid there were still enemies lurking. Bilbo's fingers were curled around his sword, ready to defend Thorin.  

It was slow going, Dalin and Bombur had to stop once and a while to rest. Thorin's hands were pressed tightly to his wound, pain contorting his face. Bilbo couldn't look at the dwarf king for he feared he would cry at his face. By late afternoon, they made it. The dwarves raced into their reclaimed kingdom, awe and joy painted across their usually stoic faces. Thorin was placed in the king's chambers, near the center of the mountain. The dwarves went off to claim their new rooms. Bilbo went a found a simple room near Thorin's; not close enough to seem strange but, close enough he could run the the king's room in two minutes (he checked).

He set his pack down and looked in a mirror. His clothes were disgusting, his once pristine white shirt a dingy grey, like dish water. His wonderful trousers torn and splatted with who knew what anymore. His waistcoat, his favorite one, ripped to shreds. His once neat curls long and hanging over his ears in ringlets. He tucked them behind his ears and looked down to his bare feet. The hair tuft on each was also long and in wavy curls. He sighed deeply at his appearance. He couldn't go back to the Shire in this. A knock came at the door.

"Come in!" He called, turning away from the mirror. Ori came in slowly like a timid terrier. "Hello Ori." He nodded to the young dwarf. "What is it I can do for you?" He asked, moving towards his pack. 

"Thorin wishes to see you." Ori told the smaller man. The hobbit nodded and followed Ori out into the huge hallway. They went to the king's chambers where Ori left him. Bilbo knocked on the large, wood and stone door. 

"Enter." Thorin's loud voice commanded. Bilbo heaved the door open, struggling. Thorin was in a huge bed, big enough for ten hobbits to lay together! Bilbo gaped at the huge bed, his blue eyes not even looking to the wonderful treasures in the room. Thorin laughed at the creature's face. "Bilbo stop drooling over my bed." Thorin snapped playfully. Bilbo shook his head and moved to the side of the bed. 

"You wished to see me?" Bilbo asked, a hand tugging at a few loose strands of his ringlets. Thorin nodded. 

"Yes I did. Balin has decided that I will survive." Thorin smiled a the hobbit. Bilbo's face broke into a giant grin. He let out a breath hat he had been holding for days. "Can't get rid of me that easy." Thorin smirked. Bilbo laughed at him. Thorin leaned back on the huge pillows behind him. He crossed his thick arms over his chest. 

"Well, I'm glad you're fine, Thorin. Truly I'm very relieved." Bilbo told the king. 

"Now, to why I called you in here. Have you made any thoughts about staying in Erebor?" Thorin asked, cocking his head. Bilbo shrugged. 

"I was waiting for you to not possibly die." Bilbo explained. Thorin's face changed, Bilbo couldn't quite figure out which emotion it changed to.

"Ah." Was all the king said.

"I was thinking that I could try and live here for a little while and see if I like it or not." Bilbo suggested. Thorin mulled over his words.  

"Yes that could work. Get you use to the ways we dwarves live." He sneered at the hobbit. 

"I'm betting you live just like you did on the journey. Like a bunch of pigs but even more stubborn." Bilbo teased. Thorin snorted at him.

"Watch yourself hobbit, I'm a king now." Thorin sat up taller, until his wound protested. He winced and placed his hands to his side. Bilbo placed a small hand on his leg. "I'm fine." Thorin gritted out. Bilbo snorted softly. 

"Don't lie to me Thorin." He said with the authority of a mother. Thorin peeked a look at the smaller creature. 

"Really Bilbo, I'm fine." He repeated. Bilbo stepped back and nodded simply. Thorin heaved a ragged breath and ran a hand over his face. "So, you'll stay for a few weeks?" Thorin asked, getting them back on subject. 

"Yes Thorin." Bilbo nodded at the king. Thorin smiled. 

"Perfect." Thorin grinned at him. A knock came at the door.  "Enter." Thorin called out. Ori's head poked in. 

"Supper is ready." He told them. Both men nodded. Ori ducked back out. 

"Help me down." Thorin reached out for Bilbo. The hobbit raced over and hooked his arm around Thorin's waist. The dwarf latched onto his shoudler and hauled himself out of the huge bed. 

"Cursing that giant bed yet?" Bilbo asked as they almost toppled over. Thorin laughed again, a lower one only meant for the hobbit's ears. 

"Never." He practically whispered in Bilbo's ear. It made the hobbit shudder. They moved down the halls towards the dining hall. The other dwarves were sat, awaiting their king. They all stood to greet their king. "Sit you lot." Thorin waved a hand at them. Bilbo helped Thorin to his chair at the head of the large table. "Sit Bilbo." Thorin pointed to the chair to his left. Bilbo paused to look at him. "Just sit." Thorin sighed. The hobbit hopped up into the chair. "You may eat." Thorin waved his hands at the food. The Company dug in with fervor. Bilbo looked around the table. For some reason, he couldn't think about living with any other creature.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Bilbo decided to explore the mountain. During his sneak in to find and speak with Smaug, Bilbo hadn't gone very far in. Even now, he probably hadn't even explored a third of the mountain. He tucked some biscuits in his pocket to prepare for the trek. He started at the main door, taking the hall to the left. He ran his short fingers along the rough wall, his round eyes taking in all the surrounded him. 

The left wall was riddled with windows, looking out to lake beyond. The water glittered with morning light. The right wall had a few doors leading to random rooms. At one point, the hall sloped down at a steep decline. The windows disappeared, both wall solid rock now. It leveled out to open into a huge room. A patch of sunlight lit the center, huge racks were hung on every surface. Swords, axes, shields, and, many other weapons were hung. Bilbo had found the armory. He spun, looking at the dusty weapons and old runes carved into the shields. He saw huge scorch marks on the far wall, the black flame shadows fading slightly. He walked over to them, his eyes squinting the dimmer light. He saw bones. Bilbo screamed and leaped back. They were dwarf bones. Bilbo moved from the room quickly, never looking back. 

The next room he came to was smaller than the armory, and the floor was sandy. It had the feel the armory had, the need to protect. He saw weapons hanging about but, they weren't huge and made of metal such as the armory ones. It was a battle training room. Bilbo dug his toes into the sand as he looked around the room. He wondered what it was like to grow up under the mountain, to train with his friends in this room.  _I'll have to ask Thorin._ He thought as he pulled his feet from the sand. He could feel the grits in the hair on his feet. He continued down the hallway, the doors becoming more and more dense. He opened a few to see they were bedrooms. 

After a while of walking and one biscuit later, Bilbo came to a huge door, like the king chamber's door. It was made from wood and stone. He opened it. It opened to a giant room, windows lined the sides and a path of gold and diamond led to a large platform. There, a throne sat, full of jewels and metals. Bilbo gaped at it, his eyes huge and wide. He walked carefully on the gold and diamond path. He came to the throne and stepped up onto the platform that held it. He reached out a short finger and barely brushed the throne. He dint't feel any different. He turned away from the throne and went through a door he found behind the throne. 

He was surprised to find a narrow hall. He followed it up an incline to a small door. It opened to Thorin's room. The dwarf was up, a shirt in one hand. Bilbo squeaked when he saw a shirtless Thorin. He had seen it before, of course this one was a surprise. Thorin spun to see the hobbit, eyes huge and face bright red. He had grown use to this sight of the hobbit. 

"Bilbo, what a surprise. How did you get in here?" Thorin asked gruffly, he turned all the way around to look at the hobbit. Bilbo looked back at the hall he had taken.

"I was uh exploring the mountain and found this hall from the throne room to here, apparently." He shrugged and looked to Thorin. The dwarf king was smirking at the smaller creature. "What?" He demanded, small hands going to his hips. Thorin laughed at him now. Bilbo glared at the dwarf king, angry at him for laughing at the poor halfling. 

"Silly hobbit. That's the king's hall. For getting to and fro the throne room without having to wall all the way around." Thorin told Bilbo, shaking his head. The hobbit glared at the back of the dwarf king before letting the anger go. 

"Cause I knew that." Bilbo rolled his eyes. Thorin shook his head and pulled the shirt on. He did up the buttons and turned to Bilbo. 

"i'm going to assume I've missed breakfast?" The king asked, tugging at the shirt sleeves. Bilbo gave a curt nod. "Ugh." Thorin heaved a sigh and went to where his boots sat. 

"How is your wound?" Bilbo asked him, his fingers toying with a string on his shirt. Thorin placed a hand on the wound on instinct. 

"Better. It let's me do some basic things, such as walk and dress myself." He smiled at the halfling as he undid the complicated laces and buckles for his boots. He slid his left foot in and redid it. "Don't suppose you have some sort of food on you?" He asked, looking up through his long lashes. Bilbo held out a biscuit. Thorin thanked him and took the biscuit. He finished his right boot and stood. 

"Thorin, will the other dwarves come to live here?" Bilbo asked out of the blue. Thorin cocked his head at the hobbit. 

"I'm not sure. I'm sure some will, the ones old enough to remember will." Thorin shrugged. "The families of the Company probably will. Why?" He asked in return. 

"I just thought they would start coming in by now, I mean, they got their home back right? Wouldn't they come running?" He looked to the scuffed floor, gouge marks like scars in the old floor. 

"The Misty Mountain has been lost to us for a long time, Bilbo. Most don't remember it or, have never even been before. The newest generations never knew what it's like to step in the mountain. Dwarves have given up on their home and have settle din their new homes. They simply won't give up their livelihood to come here, we're stubborn." Bilbo laughed at the last line.

"Don't I know it." He muttered. Thorin smirked at him.

"That's why they won't come back. Stubbornness. It'll be the end of us." Thorin shook his head. Bilbo sighed at the king. 

"That's stupid. We went through all this work to reclaim this bloody mountain for a race that won't come back simply to be stubborn?" He cried, anger twisting up in his words. Thorin glared at him. 

"This is my home Bilbo. My father and his father and his father have ruled from under this mountain for generations. You have your Shire. You have no idea what it is like to be ousted from your home, an entire race relying on you to help them. Do not speak poorly of it again." Thorin warned, his voice low and scary. Bilbo nodded and backed off.

"I am sorry Thorin." He raised his hands to show he was sorry. Thorin blinked, calming himself. 

"It is fine, Bilbo." Thorin waved a dismissive hand at the hobbit. Bilbo edged towards the huge door. 

"I'm going for a smoke." Bilbo told the king. Thorin nodded distractedly, his back to the hobbit. Bilbo slipped out and went to find somewhere to have a smoke.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't like this one as much. Oh well ,there's always next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems I accidentally called the Lonely Mountain the Misty Mountains in the last chapter. Whoops. Thank you for pointing it out to me.

A few days of awkward silence between the hobbit and dwarf king were noticed by the members of the Company. Two days of silence sent Balin to the dwarf king. "Thorin, why are ignoring the poor boy?" The older dwarf asked as he entered Thorin's room. 

"Come on in." Thorin grumbled, setting down his quill. Balin rolled his eyes. "I am not ignoring him, he's ignoring me." Thorin pointed out, stabbing a finger towards the door. "Ask him." He picked up his quill and continued to write. Balin rolled his eyes again. 

"I'm not going to tell you to do anything, simply because you won't listen but, talk to him. Bilbo is going mad, I can tell." Balin suggested, setting a hand on the door handle. Thorin snorted. 

"He's fine." He replied coldly. Balin sigh in anger at the king. 

"You two are blind! It's amazing how you two made it up here without falling down every two seconds." Balin cried in frustration.

"Bilbo fell quite a bit."Thorin pointed out, dipping his quill in the ink well. 

"Just talk to him." Balin said as he left. Thorin snorted again and finished his letter. He folded it and set it off to the side, to send off later. But now, he had a certain hobbit to find. He moved from his room and went down the left hall to Bilbo's room first. He knocked on the smaller, wooden door. No answer. He tried again. Nothing. He tried to door knob, surprised to find it unlocked. He pushed it open. The room bled Bilbo's personality already. Small things were already in the nooks and crannies, the bed perfectly made, clothes stacked neatly in piles near the bed. The hobbit's old waistcoat was hanging on the back of a small chair, strings hanging off from where the buttons use to be. There was no Bilbo. Thorin sighed but didn't shut the door. He stepped into the room and looked around more. He saw that on the bedside table there was a small, beat up tin. He opened it to find biscuits neatly placed. 

"For late night snacks." The hobbit commented from behind the king. Thorin jumped and spun to see the hobbit. He reddened when he saw he was caught red handed. "What are you doing in here, Thorin?" Bilbo asked, crossing his small arms. Thorin floundered for an excuse. He couldn't find one.

"I was looking for you." Thorin answered. Bilbo raised an eyebrow. Thorin tugged at one of his braids. "Ba-I wanted to speak with you." Thorin changed his sentence quickly, deciding it would look stupid if he said that Balin wanted him to speak with the halfling. Bilbo made a hand motion for Thorin to speak. "I-I wanted to say I"m not mad at you for calling dwarves stubborn. Also, I wish for you to stop ignoring me." He watched Bilbo's face change. 

"I see. I have no idea why you would be mad at me." Bilbo shrugged, taking the tin top from Thorin and placing it back. "But, I"m not mad at you either, I suppose. I was." He looked to Thorin. "But I"m not. I was just seeing how long it would take Balin to intercept you and yell before you spoke. Only two days, not as long as I hopped." He smiled at the dwarf king. Thorin glared at him. 

"You weren't mad?" He asked, still stuck on that. Bilbo nodded. 

"I stopped being mad five minutes later." Bilbo explained, sitting on his bed. Thorin threw up his hands. Bilbo smirked. 

"Crazy hobbit." Thorin muttered as he shook his head. Bilbo chuckled at the dwarf and glanced at him. 

"Not my fault you're stubborn. Took you long enough to come talk to me." He rolled his eyes with  a huff. "Supposed it would take a bit. You dwarves-" He waved a hand with a smirk as he sauntered over to his desk. He shuffled around some papers. 

"Us dwarves?" Thorin prompted. Bilbo looked up at him.

"Oh, nothing." The hobbit shook his curl covered head and set the papers down. "I should really write home, say I won't be needing my little hole anymore." He picked up a quill and spun it between his short fingers. 

"You're staying?" Thorin asked, his head jerking up. Bilbo shrugged and pushed off the desk. 

"I suppose I am. I mean, what will the Shire offer me now? A safe place?" He snorted. "I'd have that here. It'll be boring, that's what it'll be." He pointed the quill at Thorin. "At least here there will be adventures abound. Dwarf politics and keeping them in line with my Hobbit superiority." He placed his fists on his hips and looked out. Thorin burst into laughter. Bilbo grinned at him and laughed. "No?" He asked. Thorin shook his head.

"Not in the slightest." He told his small friend. Bilbo shrugged. 

"Worth a shot." Bilbo smiled and set the quill down. "But yes, I"m staying." Thorin grinned like mad and moved across the room to stand in front of the hobbit. Bilbo tilted his head up, just a tiny bit, so he could look Thorin in the eyes. 

"Perfect. I'm so glad you decided to stay, Bilbo." Thorin practically whispered to the hobbit. He placed a large hand on his shoulder. "Really." He sent one more smile down to the hobbit before he left. Bilbo's eyes rested on the door for some time after, his shoulder burning where Thorin's hand had lain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay ummm my docs aren't working apparently. Chapter 5 has to be TOTALLY re-written. Sorry for those that read the stupid version where it didn't save my updates to it. I will have it back ASAP. I'm sorry again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the weirdness that happened with this chapter. Somehow the last update to it didn't save. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention otherwise, I would have left it. Also, sorry if this one is a little different from the first one, I had to totally delete the chapter and start over.

Thorin groaned loudly as he entered his room after leaving the hobbit's. He slammed the heavy door and drug himself to the large bed and collapsed onto it.  _I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I tell him? He was right there._ Thorin placed his large hands over his eyes and drug them down his face. He rolled over onto his good side and opened his eyes. They caught in a large chest in the corner of his room. He slid off the bed and went over to it. The latch was old and rusty, like the rest of the castle. He flipped it open to find a bunch of feminine things. He knew it was his mother's. She was long gone before Thorin could start to remember things.

He ruffled through the dresses, set a stack of letters aside and came to a necklace with four rings strung on it. Two of the rings were heavy, they were made of dwarf iron. They were covered in dwarfen symbols, Thorin held them close to read them. _Love, compassion, faith._ He smiled and pushed them down the chain. He came to the ring, it's band was smaller, gold and delicate. There was also a stone set in it. The stone glittered and shot out a million little rainbows. It looked like someone took a piece of the Arkenstone. Thorin wondered it they really did. He came to the next ring, it was a perfect median between the other three. It was a braided ring, a type of ring only the dwarves could make. Dwarf iron and gold were braided to make a wedding ring, the two metals were the preferred metal of each dwarf. the stone set in this one was the same as the last. This one had symbols as well, mostly the same as the iron ones except, for one more.  _Gia._ Thorin paused at this one, confused by it.  _Gia?_ He was pretty sure it was his mother's name. He strung the necklace over his neck, tucking it into his shirt.  _  
_

Thorin shut the chest and went to his desk. He picked up his quill and a fresh piece of paper, he ready to begin his kingly duties. 

\---------

Three days later, it was around breakfast time and Bilbo was heading towards the kitchen. He walked past the dwarf king's door and paused. a thought flittered around his curl covered head.  _I haven't seen Thorin in a few days. Maybe I should pop in?_ He shrugged and knocked on the large door. No answer.  _Maybe he's out?_ The hobbit wondered. He knocked again. He heard the call for him to enter. AS he pushed the door open, he saw Thorin rubbing at his pretty blue eyes. 

"Sorry, I uh didn't mean to wake you." Bilbo said, ducking his head. Thorin waved a hand as he yawned, showing off his teeth. 

"No its fine, I was just waking when you knocked." Thorin reassured him. He pushed back the covers and slid off the bed, his feet hitting the floor with a thud. He half walked, half hobbled to the large oak wardrobe across from the bed. Bilbo realized that Thorin's hair was loose. He had never seen the dwarf without braids, even when he was on his death bed. Thorin threw open the doors and studied his options for the day. "What was it you needed, Bilbo?" The king asked as he pulled out a shirt and trousers. Bilbo had to mentally slap himself to answer. 

"Oh! I was just popping in to say hello, I haven't seen you in a few days." The hobbit stammered out as the king pulled his night shirt off. Bilbo's brain shut down then, his his blooming red as his eyes skimmed the dwarf's torso. Scars laced across the tan skin, muscles rippling underneath. Thorin shucked his trousers and that really shut down Bilbo's brain. "I- uh...I gotta go uh..." Bilbo wanted to die. He couldn't even form a correct sentence! The dwarf king didn't notice the babbling hobbit as he yanked on his fresh clothes. "I'm gonna go..." Bilbo started for the door. 

"No. Stay, have breakfast with me." Thorin said. Bilbo turned to look at the dwarf.  _Stupid blue eyes._ He nodded which made Thorin smile, a little. 

"I'm gonna go get breakfast then." The hobbit tried. Thorin allowed him to do that. Once the heavy door was shut, Bilbo leaned against it and breathed deeply a few times.  _Did Thorin really just do that?_ He wondered, shaking his head out. He walked swiftly to the kitchen, his brain restarting.  _Stupid dwarf._ He grabbed a tray that was stacked near the door and loaded it with breakfast things. A pot of tea, another of oatmeal, meat, breads and, cheeses. He carried the tray back, scurrying to avoid other dwarves. 

 When he got back, he saw that Thorin was sitting at a vanity type desk, braiding his hair. His fingers moved with such deftness that it mesmerized the halfing. He watched as Thorin wove two strands together, the motion reminded Bilbo of a dance. The king threaded the finished braid through a metal bead and went on to the next. Unlike the other dwarves, Thorin's hair didn't have as many or intricate braids in it. Bilbo liked to count how many braids each dwarf had during the journey and he counted only five in Thorin's hair. He counted now and counted five. Throin then gather a large chunk of hair in the back and split it into three separate pieces.  _A sixth? I wonder what this one is for?_  Balin had told Bilbo that braids and hair in general were sacred to dwarves, each braid meant something. This braid was different, most of the braids had two pieces. Thorin cursed the braid as he messed it up. He undid a few and redid them slowly. Finally, he finished and threaded it through a larger bead that had a small green stone inlaid in the center. 

"Decided to learn how to braid, Bilbo?" Thorin teased as he turned around. Bilbo panicked, he hadn't thought of Thorin being able to see him. 

"Uh-no I-um-breakfast."  _I'm such an idiot._ He carried the tray to the oak table near the far wall as Thorin laughed at him. 

"Silly little hobbit." Thorin remarked with a certain softness in his usual rough voice. They sat at the table. "Tea? " The king held up the pot. Bilbo nodded mutely and held up his cup. After pouring the tea, the two fell into an awkward silence, led by Bilbo. 

After about ten minutes of silence, Bilbo finally blurted out, "What do your braids mean?" He clamped his small hands over his mouth and felt the red return to his face. Thorin blinked at him, a piece of ham in his mouth. He swallowed and chuckled at the smaller creature. "Sorry." Bilbo squeaked out. Thorin waved a hand. 

"How much have the other's told you?" Thorin asked, setting his fork down. Bilbo shrugged. 

"Not much, only that hair and braids are very special in dwarf culture." He prompted. Thorin nodded and held up a smaller, two strand braid. 

"The smaller ones; such as this one are usually from childhood. This one is for when I completed my warrior training, most dwarves have this one. " He dropped the braid. "All braids that have to do with fighting and things of that nature are on the left side, ones that deal with personal life such as marriage and children are on the right. Ones of power and status are in the back." Thorin explained. "This one-" He held up a larger one on the left side."Is for my first orc kill. It means I've become a man." He explained, dropping the braid. Bilbo nodded. 

"I see. Hobbits don't have things like that." He explained. The returned to eating, talking about nonsense. The conversation continued into after the meal, the two chatting easily. s

Sometime later, after second breakfast for Bilbo, a knock came at the door. Thorin called for them to enter. In came Kíli. "We've received a letter, they're coming." 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank you all for the support you've given me. It really helps with writing.

"Who?" Bilbo asked, his head whipping between the two dwarves. Thorin grinned at the hobbit, which took the smaller creature back a little. This was a huge grin, an almost scary grin. 

"Dwarves." Thorin told him. Bilbo felt a smile pull at his lips. "The families of the Company to start with. Then, the rest in a staggered pace." Thorin explained. Kíli ran off, no doubt to tell the others. 

"Wonderful! That's just wonderful, Thorin." Bilbo told his friend. "Do you want me to move rooms so the families are closer together?" He asked. Thorin spun to look at him if he was crazy.

"No. They'll be fine." He waved a hand. "Besides, it's already your room and they may not-" Thorin stopped himself but, Bilbo knew what was next. 

"They may not want to use a room that was used by a hobbit you mean." Bilbo prompted. Thorin nodded. "I see. Will they accept me?" Bilbo asked, he was growing worried. 

"They will. It will take time though, those that use to live here will be angry that another creature lives here." Thorin told the halfling. 

"Even though a dragon has been living here..." Bilbo rolled his eyes. "Stupid dwarves." He mumbled. Thorin pretended not to hear that. Bilbo leaped off his chair and grabbed the empty breakfast tray. "Well, I'm off. I have very important hobbity things to do." He nodded to Thorin as he exited. The king shook his head after ther hobbit left.

"Silly hobbit." 

\-----

Two weeks of twelve nervous dwarves cleaning a  _freaking_ mountain could drive any semi-sane creature of Middle Earth insane, including a hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. He almost knocked them all out and tossed them into the lake a few times. By the time the day of the dwarves arriving came round, the mountain almost sparkled, no amount of cleaning could make dirt sparkle. The dwarves sure did try though. A letter arrived two days before saying that they would be there about noon. 

"It's 11:55, how can we not see them yet?" Ori wondered aloud. A few of the dwarves rumbled in agreement. Bilbo gave a slight shake of his head. The Company was camped out on the bridge leading to the doors of the mountain. He could feel all the emotions dripping off the dwarves, most were excited, there was a swirl of nervousness around them. Finally, right at noon, Ori called he could see a group of dwarves. The Company moved so quickly, Bilbo didn't have time to react. 

"Why didn't you move this quickly during the quest?" He grumbled as he started after them. By the time he got to the large group, the tears had already started. The hobbit thought better of trying to join in at the moment and hung back. He watched the men that had children be piled on by the little rascals, he watched married couples and courting couples alike kiss and embrace in a way that made him look away. It was private and he felt he was intruding. 

"Papa who be that?" A young ginger dwarf asked. Glóin scooped the child up into his arms and looked to see who his youngin was pointing at. 

"Ah. That's our burglar, Mister Bilbo Baggins of Bag End."The ginger dwarf replied easily. ¨Come here Bilbo." He waved the hobbit over. Bilbo came over and greeted the smaller dwarf. 

"Wow. A hobbit." The boy was in awe. "Nin said they were tiny, like mice." The child looked to his father. "He's not like a mouse Papa." Bilbo snorted at that softly. Glóin smirked at him over his son's head. 

"Well Gimli not everything everyone says is true." The dwarf explained to his son. "Now, Thorin said Bilbo couldn't do it and look, he did." Glóin gestured to the mountain.  Gimli nodded. 

"Bilbo! Come over here!" Thorin hollered. Bilbo looked at Glóin apologetically. The dwarf raised a hand in understanding as the hobbit nodded to him and hurried over to the dwarf king. He was standing with Fíli, Kíli and, a woman dwarf that looked  a lot like Thorin. "I'd like you to meet my sister, Dís." Thorin waved a hand at the woman. Bilbo nodded to her and introduced himself.

"Thorin you didn't tell me he was hansom!"  Dís exclaimed, smacking her brother in the arm. Thorin rolled his eyes.

"Yes well, pardon me for not telling you how hansom a hobbit is when we almost died!" Thorin grumbled sarcastically. Dís laughed at her brother and looked to her children. 

"And you two! Letting your uncle almost die like that!" Her hands went to her hips, a move Bilbo saw many times as a young lad. He smirked at the two young dwarves, who's heads were ducked as they stammered. 

"Ah let up on them, sister. It wasn't all their fault you know. It was the whole lot of them!" Thorin called, loud enough for the rest of the Company to hear. 

"We tried our best mate!" 

"Yeah! Not our fault you were an arrow and sword magnet!" Bilbo laughed at the Company as they goaded Thorin and each other. 

"Anyways, let's head inside, Bombur was cooking up a storm this morning, trying to get lunch together." Thorin led his sister and the rest of the dwarves in through the huge doors. 

"Come along little hobbit." Dís turned around and called as Bilbo stayed back. The hobbit sped up to catch up with the family. Thorin gave him a strange look, one the hobbit couldn't quiet identify. 

When the group came to the dining room (after having to go on three child rounding up trips) the huge table was covered with every dish possible. After the awe, came the feast. Thorin took the head of the table, his family sitting around him. 

"Hobbit! You're by me." Dís pointed to the chair next to her. Bilbo nodded and sat next to her. Thorin gave him that same look from earlier. Once everyone was sat, Thorin stood, glass of mead in hand. 

"I want to thank each and every one of you. From those that accompanied me on the quest-" He paused so that the Company could call at him. "And those that came to live with us. I promised I would get our home back and we did. Now, it is time to truly reclaim it as ours. To the dwarves!" The dwarves roared and slammed glasses together. Thorin sat as the others dug into the feast. Bilbo took his share and listened to the conversations around him. A few from the Company were spinning the tale about the quest, all three of them telling different stories. The children were enthralled by all three. Bilbo smiled and shook his as he buttered his bread. 

"So, little hobbit tell me, how did you come to be on the great quest?" Dís asked, turning to the halfling. Bilbo swallowed the bite he had and began to speak. "A wizard came to my door and invited the Company over for dinner." He replied simply. Dís snorted. "What?" He asked, ripping a piece of bread off.

"Surely there is more." She prodded. Bilbo shook his head and popped the piece of bread into his mouth. 

"There is not. Oh! Gandalf scribed a rune into my door to call the dwarves there." Bilbo grinned at her and turned back to his meal. Dís made a noise of disappointment and turned to her sons, asking of their adventures on the quest. Both launched into the tales of their times on the quest. Bilbo laughed as he listened to all the stories being spun around him.  _Like a bunch of spiders._ He thought, then shuddered at the thought of the huge spiders in the forest. "Yuck." He whispered, brushing off invisible spiderwebs.

"You okay, Bilbo?" Thorin asked, his blue eyes locked on the hobbit. Bilbo looked up at the king. 

"Yes yes just uh, remembered something." He waved a hand. Thorin raised an eyebrow. "Thorin, I'm fine." He reassured the king. Thorin nodded reluctantly and returned to listening to Kíli speak. 

"Thorin huh?" Dís whispered to him. It startled the poor hobbit who, was listening to Ori's tale about the quest. He had written most of it down and was reciting it. The others from the Company were shouting at him the falsehood of his account. 

"Excuse me?" Bilbo asked, turning towards her. Dís gave a wicked grin to the hobbit. Her own blue eyes sparking with something. "Yes. You called him Thorin. Most people I know that are below him in social rankings call him Mister Oakenshield. Or, I suppose King." She seemed to sneer the words at the smaller creature. Bilbo felt a strange feeling bubble in his almost full belly.

"Thorin has asked me to call him that so, I will call him Thorin. I would anyways since that's what friends call each other." Bilbo snapped at her, harder then meant. Dís leaned back a little, shocked at the outburst of the hobbit.

"Well, excuse me." She grumbled, turning back to her empty plate. Bilbo felt a gaze on him and looked up, Thorin was looking at him with a question in his eyes. He flicked his cold blue eyes to his sister then back to Bilbo. The hobbit shook his head. The king nodded and went back to eating. 

After what seemed like a year, lunch ended. The dwarf parents were giving the task of carrying arm loads of sleeping dwarf children down rocky stairs to rooms. Bilbo stayed behind to help clean up the mess left by the almost thirty dwarves. With his arm loaded with dirty plates, Bilbo started towards the kitchen. A tap on his shoulder almost made him lose them all.

"Holy!" Biblo jumped and spun to see who it was, ready to yell at them. When he saw it was Thorin, the angry words dripped away. "Oh. Thorin." He had to look around the stack of plates. Thorin jolted when he saw the huge stack of plates. 

"Sorry, Bilbo. Didn't mean to scare you and I didn't see the stack of plates." Thorin smiled sheepishly at the floor. "Did you want some help?" He offered. Bilbo shook his head. "Alright." 

"Can we talk on the way to the kitchen? My arms might fall off." Bilbo joked. Thorin chuckled and nodded. "Wonderful." They started to walk towards the kitchen.

"So, what did you think of Dís?" Thorin asked, holding the door open of Bilbo. The hobbit dropped the load of plates and turned to the king. 

"Well she's uh... Very much like you." He decided to say. Thorin chuckled. 

"Yes. Very much so." Thorin watched Bilbo draw water and start to dump plates in. "What were you two arguing about earlier?" He wondered. 

"About me calling you Thorin." Bilbo replied simply. The dwarf king laughed at this. 

"Seriously?" Bilbo nodded. He shook his head at that. "Well then." The was a nice pause in the conversation as Bilbo dropped more plates into the water. "Why were you brushing at your arm?" The dark haired dwarf finally asked. Bilbo shrugged. "No. You know." He pushed. 

"I thought about the giant spiders. It felt like there was spiderwebs all over me." Bilbo sighed, halting his work. "That's all." He shrugged and went back to work. 

"Are you alright though?" Thorin pushed, concern dripping into his words. 

"Yes. I'm fine now. Just a memory, Thorin." He smiled at the dwarf, trying to convince him. Thorin cocked an eyebrow. "Don't worry about little old me, you've got a kingdom to handle." Bilbo waved a hand at him and finished dropping plates into the water. He wiped his hands off and turned to Thorin. 

"Well, if you need to talk about anything, you know where to find me." Thorin smile dat him. "Speaking of finding, I have to go find Dís." His tone was a little darker. "See you at dinner Bilbo." He nodded to the hobbit and left the kitchen. Bilbo closed his eyes and sighed before going back to work. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little wait, this one was hard to get started. But, I like the outcome.


	7. Chapter 7

Thorin stormed down the massive halls of Erebor, his hard blue eyes set on one thing.  _Dís._ He was not happy with his sister, the way she acted towards Bilbo, all of it. He banged a door open to see a cluster of children fake fighting. They paused and looked up at him, fear in their eyes. He smiled at them and continued down the hall. He heard the squeals of their play as he continued down the huge halls. He banged another door open, finally, he found her. Dís looked up from the book she was reading. 

"Hello brother. Here to read as well?" She asked, almost smugly ass eh set the book down. Thorin could almost feel his blood boil. 

"No I'm not." he growled out. Dís cocked her head, braids clinking together. 

"What's the matter brother?" The female dwarf asked, her voice filled with sarcasm.

"You." He growled out. Dís was taken back. "You. Talking to him and-" Thorin shook his head, braids clinking. "Don't." He mumbled before leaving, the anger still boiling in him. Dís sat in confusion before understanding what her brother meant. She grinned wickedly and continued to read.

At dinner that night, Dís's head was bent to talk with the hobbit. Thorin tried to keep himself from glaring at his sister as they ate but, it was near impossible. The way Bilbo laughed at her jokes and her stories made him bend a spoon at one point. He shook his head, growling at himself lowly.  _Get it together. He's not your's. You have no right to act this way._  He scolded himself. Once dinner was finished, he stayed back to watch where Bilbo went. He stayed behind as well, after hugging Dís. Thorin's blood roared then. He calmed himself. _He doesn't truly know what hugs mean to dwarves._ he reminded himself. Bilbo started to help with the cleanup. He seemed surprised to see Thorin still there. 

"Thorin!" The halfling squeaked out. "I didn't know you were still here, thought you would have joined the others for some dwarf game." Bilbo joked as he started to stack plates. 

"Clovin." Thorin stated. Bilbo gave him a confused look. "That's the game; Clovin. Played with clubs. Never mind." Thorin waved a hand. He sighed and ran a hand over his face.  _Now or never._ He prodded at himself. "Bilbo do-" He paused, his face felt flush and he cursed himself. "Do you like Dís?" He rushed out. Biblo gave him a crazy eyed look. He set the plates in his small hands down and turned to Thorin. 

"I mean, I suppose. She's a little rude, like you. A little clueless to social standards, like you. She's nice though." He shrugged and went back to stacking plates. "Why do you ask?" The hobbit wondered, hefting the plates into his arms. Thorin came over and took a large stack from the top. Bilbo thanked him and nodded to the kitchen. The two went into the kitchen and set the plates down. 

"I was just wondering. I saw her hug you earlier and those mean something different in dwarf culture." Thorin started. Bilbo lifted an eyebrow. "Usually, dwarves only hug loved ones; family, partners, people like that. Friends don't hug typically, unless they are extremely close." The king explained as he handed plates to Bilbo.

"But, you hugged me on Carrock." The hobbit pointed out.  _Shit. I forgot about that._  

"You saved my life." Thorin pointed out. Bilbo nodded, taking that answer. "But Dís doesn't like to follow dwarf culture, she'd much rather follow her own rules. Fílli and Kílli were conceived out of wedlock, a huge no-no in the dwarf community. She never wed, which is fine but, with two youngins with no father, that is much more different." Throin shook his head. Bilbo started to wash the plates, his blue eyes turned down. "What about hobbit culture?" Thorin asked, turning to his silent friend. 

"Oh! Umm we are very social savvy, as you know. Gossip is like an art form in the Shire and is taken quite seriously. Any lady hobbit seen with a new man is very quickly whispered about. Babies out of wedlock is a scandal certain to get you kicked out of your tea circle if with a troublesome hobbit." Bilbo smirked at his own words. "More than one with different hobbits is the biggest scandal to be had, beside being caught cheating on you r partner, of course." Bilbo shook his head. "Though, hobbits are very loyal to their loved ones, never knew a hobbit to cheat, never." He shook his head again, more defiant then anything. 

"Same with dwarves, extremely loyal to their loved." Thorin pointed out. Bilbo set the plates out to dry and wiped his hands off. The two left the kitchen and went back through the halls. Thorin could hear the others paying Clovin, he could her the thunk of the ball being hit by clubs. He figured they were the only ones in the halls. 

When they came to his door, he spun to face the hobbit. "Bilbo look, I want to say-" He broke and shook his. Bilbo looked to him, confused. "Ah, screw it." He grabbed the smaller creature's face and pressed his lips to the halfling's. Bilbo froze, his blue eyes wide. Thorin pulled back quickly, afraid he hurt the smaller man. 

"What the-?" Bilbo struggled for words. Thorin panicked. 

"Sorry. I'm so sorry Bilbo. I-I-" He ducked into his room and leaned against the door. He heard Bilbo fumble for words before leaving. Thorin slid to the floor, his head going into his hands. "What did I just do?" He moaned out, smacking himself. "Stupid. Stupid." He shook his head and moved to the bed. He curled up on his good side and looked to the wall. "I'm an idiot." He closed his blue eyes and rolled onto his back. "Now what am I gonna do?" He whispered to himself, his head shaking again. He sighed and laid there for a long while, thinking.

Meanwhile, in a certain hobbit's room, that said hobbit was think as well. Bilbo had stood there outside Thorin's room for a few minutes, his mouth trying to form words he couldn't find. He finally went to his room, head down, mouth still trying to formulate words. Finally, he found them. "Don't be sorry Thorin, kiss me again. I've been waiting for that." He whispered before he fell asleep. 


	8. Chapter 8

Bilbo couldn't sleep that night, his brain kept going back to outside Thorin's room. The kiss had surprised him of course, Thorin was not one to act like that. Bilbo didn't hate it but, it was too quick to truly form an opinion about it. Bilbo tossed himself onto his other side and stared at his door. His blue eyes burned holes into the wood and stone mix.  _Maybe if I...No. That's dumb._ He flipped onto his back and stared at the ceiling.  _maybe it would help though. No._ He shook out his curls and flipped back to stare at the door. After an hour of debating, Bilbo swung his covers off and dropped down onto the stone floor. He pulled his dressing gown over his sleeping clothes and went to his door. He listened to the hallway and found it empty. He stepped out quietly. He padded down the hall to the huge door. He took in a deep breath and pushed it open. The hinges squeaked loudly, making the halfling wince. As he stepped inside, a knife wedged itself into the wood part of the door, right by his ear. 

He felt something wet dribble down his ear. He was bleeding. "What the Hell, Thorin?" He snarled out, holding his hand to his ear. He pulled it away to see blood smeared on his fingers. The king's chambers were pitch black, all the lanterns and candles blown out long ago. 

"Bilbo?" The king stammered. "Why are you in here?" He asked, climbing out of the bed. Bilbo stepped more into the room, still holding his ear. Thorin came over and pulled his hand away from his ear. "Oh. I got you. Sorry." Thorin touched near the wound, making the skin heat. He went over to his vanity and came back with a strip of cloth. "Here, use this. "He pulled Bilbo's hand away and pressed the cloth into the nick in the hobbit's ear. Bilbo reached up and brushed his hand over Thorin's. The king let go of the cloth and allowed the hobbit to take over. "Why are you in here?" The king repeated, stepping back. 

"I wanted to talk about what happened today." Bilbo told his friend. Thorin sighed and went to light a lantern. The king struck up a match and lit the lantern on his table. 

"What is there to talk about?" The dwarf asked, shaking out the match. Bilbo sighed and sat in a chair. Thorin followed his lead. "Tons. There's tons to talk about Thorin. Why you freak about Dís and I speaking and the ki.." He trailed off when he saw a spark in the king's ice colored eyes. 

"I don't like you speaking to my sister the way you do because of her intentions with you. She will toy with you and then drop you once she gets bored. She does it to everyone, Bilbo and I don't want it happening to you." Thorin replied coldly. "I love her to death but, I've seen to many hearts break because of her and don't want your's to be one of them." The dwarf's words were fierce and full of something Bilbo had barely heard them full of. 

"I wasn't uh going that way with your sister." Bilbo's face flamed. Thorin had to laugh at the hobbit's tomato face. "But thank you for uh.." The hobbit coughed." for looking out for me." He shook his head the dwarf as he said the words. "But uh.." Bilbo had no idea how to approach the topic of the kiss. "Why did you kiss me?" It all just tumbled out without his brain giving consent to. Thorin's head whipped up and his eyes narrowed. Bilbo shrank back, afraid of what the dwarf king would do. Thorin, upon seeing this, knocked back his chair and knelt in front of the still cowering hobbit. He guessed knocking his chair back didn't help either. 

"Don't shy away from me, Bilbo. I would never hurt you. Do you understand that?" Thorin said quietly, fiercely. His icy eyes burning into the hobbit's own warm blue eyes. His large, rough hand settled on the hobbit's smaller, softer hands. "If I did I..." He shook his head, his free hair shifting back and forth. "No." He muttered to himself. "I kissed you tonight simply because I wanted to. I have wanted to, for a long while now. Since..." He blew out a breath. "I don't even know! Long time though. Seeing you with Dís, Hell, anyone else like that makes me angry. I don't want them to make you laugh your cute little laugh, the one where you can barely breath after." Bilbo blushed at that. "I don't want them to be the ones you go to for joy, to comfort you, no. That's my job. My job is to make you laugh your cute little laughs, to give you joy, to comfort you. And I get  _so_ jealous when you go to the others for that. Makes me wonder if I'm not good enough for it. If you don't like me like I do you." Thorin was close to him now, a breath away. Bilbo's heart had sped up, it felt like a hummingbird in his chest. 

"But then, you come to me, I make you laugh or make you smile after you just cried into my furs and then, that's when I know. I know I'm good enough for this far from home hobbit. I know that you like me like I do you. Each doubt is crushed when I make you smile, Bilbo. That is why I kissed you, because I'd been waiting so damn long." With that, Thorin moved just that inch to press their lips together. There was no surprise with this one, Bilbo had felt it coming on. Thorin's lips were rough and chapped, like Bilbo knew they would be. Bilbo's were soft and full, like Thorin fantasized they would be. Who knew how long they stayed like that, maybe a minute, maybe an hour, they didn't know. It wasn't rough and feral but, slow and very tame. It was Bilbo who pulled away, not because he wanted to but, because his lungs screamed for oxygen. 

Thorin rested his forehead on Bilbo's the two sucking in air. Thorin flicked his eyes open to watch the hobbit breath. He watched the smaller creature breath, the way his cute nose flared slightly as he did, his blond lashes resting on his pink cheeks. He leaned in and kissed each cheek, each eyelid and the corners of the hobbit's mouth. Bilbo purred as he kissed his little nose, the hobbit's eyes opening to meet his. Bilbo kissed the king's nose, his cheeks and the corners of his lips. Thorin raised a large hand and placed it on Bilbo's cheek. Bilbo leaned into it, turning his head to kiss Thorin's palm. Thorin stroked Bilbo's cheek with his thumb, watching the hobbit react. 

He placed his other hand on the halfling's other cheek, cupping his face now. His thumbs stroked back and forth. The king leaned in and kissed the hobbit again. Bilbo's eyes fluttered shut and his small arms came up to wrap around Throin's neck. His fingers drew down his neck in trails. Thorin pulled away slightly, his breath hitching. Bilbo chuckled at him and kissed him lightly. The hobbit's mouth opened in a yawn, he ducked his head into his shoulder, cheeks flaming. Thorin chuckled at him. 

"Come, let's go to bed." Thorin muttered. Bilbo's cheeks burst bright red. Thorin laughed at him. "Silly little hobbit, I meant just to sleep." He shook his head.

"Oh. I-I knew that." Bilbo stammered, standing from the chair. The two stretched out, being like that for long periods did not do their bodies any favors. Bilbo draped his dressing gown over the back of his chair and followed Thorin up into the huge bed. The small man had troubles crawling into the high bed. Thorin helped him up. "Thanks." Bilbo gasped out. They shimmied under the covers, and looked to each other. Bilbo's face was tinged pink again. "Well, good-night Thorin." Bilbo said, stifling another yawn.

"Good-night Bilbo." Thorin muttered, rolling over and kissing the hobbit's forehead. Bilbo smiled sheepishly at him and rolled to face Thorin. He reached his hand out and folded their fingers together. Thorin's eyebrows shot up for a second before he pushed them back down. They fell asleep like this, facing each other, hands folded together. 


	9. Chapter 9

Thorin woke to a weight settled in the middle of his chest. He peeked an icy eye open to see a nest of curly honey hair.  _Bilbo._ He smirked and shut his eyes, a sigh of content passing his lips.  _So it wasn't a dream._ He thought happily, peeking at the sleeping hobbit again. His own arms were wrapped around the halfling's waist. He finally opened his eyes fully and watched the hobbit sleep. He brushed his lips softly over the hobbit's forehead. Bilbo's face was so peaceful, Thorin was afraid he was dead. During his watch shift's during their journey, he had gotten into the habit of watching the other's sleep. Bilbo's sleep was usually fitful, the hobbit jerking himself awake more than once each night. Thorin use to go over and try to soothe the poor hobbit, to no luck. 

Thorin had no idea how much time had past, all he knew was that watching Bilbo sleep was good enough to keep him still so the smaller creature could sleep. A while later, Bilbo started to wake. His small body grew tense as he slowly drifted out of his dreams. His fingers curled and uncurled around Thorin's sleeping shirt. Finally, his sapphire eyes blinked open. "Morning." Thorin rumbled out. Bilbo tensed, his ear pressed to Thorin's chest. The dwarf's voice was even deeper and more rumbly  than before, if possible. Bilbo gave a little laugh and sat up slowly, rubbing at his eyes. He raised his arms up and stretched, groaning as he did so. Thorin simply watched, his ice eyes flickering over the hobbit's face.  

"Hmm morning." Bilbo finally muttered. Thorin gave a little laugh and shook his head. Bilbo dropped out of the bed first, his thick padded feet thumping as he hit the floor. "I"m going to get some clothes." He pointed his thumb at the door. Thorin nodded as he dropped out of the bed. He went over to his own wardrobe as the hobbit slid out of his room. He pulled out trousers and a shirt and went to dress for the day. The king washed his face and hands in the basin in the corner of his room after he dressed and went to his vanity. 

He was halfway through his second braid when Bilbo came back, he was freshly dressed and washed. "Hi." Bilbo greeted as he shut the large door behind him. 

"Hello." Thorin greeted. The dwarf's fingers braided his hair nimbly, barely watching as he did. Bilbo crawled up onto the bed and watched the king do his hair. When he moved to the braid in the back, Bilbo finally spoke.

"What does the braid in the back mean?" The hobbit wondered aloud. Thorin paused his braiding, he still held the three chunks.

"It's a King Braid." Thorin responded. "If I wed, another braid will be braided with this one, to show marriage. Most dwarves do the same. It is called a Wedlock Braid." Thorin explained, going back to braiding. "Our weeding rings are also braided, the two getting married choose their favorite metals and the two are braided into two rings, one for each. Then, each party decorates the one for the other with runes and pictures that depict their love." Thorin slid the braid through it's holder and turned around. "Braids are very important in dwarf culture. There is an old saying 'Dwarves never separate, the simply twine together.'" Thorin looked off, almost wistfully. Bilbo had a silly grin on his face, he loved to listen to Thorin talk about dwarf culture. 

"I like that saying." Bilbo stated. Thorin nodded along with him. "Hobbits, when we wed, give the other something precious to us. Usually something small that can be strung on a necklace. They wear or carry it with them till they die. Those truly in love place it next to their hearts each day and sleep with them under their pillows each night. Most hobbit couples are buried with the possessions still with them, usually in a special pocket sewn right above the heart." Bilbo sighed dreamily, he loved hobbit weddings. They were a big event, huge even, anyone who was anyone went to them. The vows were always in poem form and spoken with true love and passion. The food was even better as was the dancing.

 "I like that." Thorin smiled at the small creature. Dwarf weddings were cold and very short. He didn't like to attend them but, as king, he would have to. "We should go get some breakfast." Thorin stated as Bilbo's stomach growled loudly. The hobbit blushed and placed his hands on his stomach. The two left the chambers and went down to the dining room. 

Most of the other's were already there, including Dís. The black haired dwarf looked up at them entering together and sneered at her brother. "Brother. Hobbit." She nodded to them as they past her to sit at the head of the table. A couple of the dwarves from the journey were whispering and sneaking peeks at them. Thorin ladled porridge into his bowl and grabbed some ham. Bilbo stirred honey into his tea, his sapphire eyes sweeping the table. AS he took a sip, Bofur approached Thorin. 

"Aye, took ya long enough mate." The other dwarf smirked teasingly at his king. Thorin swatted at him lightly, meaning no harm. Bofur laughed as he galloped away towards the other's from the journey. Thorin muttered something under his breath as he buttered his bread. Fílli and Kíli came up to their uncle, snickering. 

"I swear to Mahal I will kick you both off the mountain of you say a word about this." Thorin warned, pointing his finger at them. The two snickered again and galloped back to the other dwarves. 

"Thorin, what's wrong?" Bilbo whispered to the king, worry burrowing in his chest. Thorin turned to his what? Friend? Lover? He didn't know. 

"I'll tell you later.It's complicated." Thorin muttered to the hobbit. Bilbo nodded once and went back to eating. It was one of the most awkward breakfasts the hobbit ever had, and that was saying something. 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This where all the fluff comes in, like a sheep ton of fluff.

_Curse them, each and every one of them. I hope they burn in the next life. I swear I will toss each of them off this mountain._ Thorin's eyes swept the breakfast table, halting at each dwarf that went with him on the journey. They each had a silly grin on their faces, jostling and jesting each other at his expense.  _I sweat to Mahal I will take joy in taking their lips off so they can't sneer and grin at me._ When he saw Bilbo had finished, he jerked himself and the hobbit up from the table. Bilbo squeaked in surprise as Thorin drug him away, laughter and jest following them down the hall. Thorin drug the hobbit back to the king's chambers and slammed the door behind them. 

"What the Hell Thorin?" Bilbo snapped, whirling to face the king. Thorn ran his fingers through the unbraided part of his hair. "Seriously, what was all that?" The hobbit demanded, crossing his small arms. Thorin smiled at the halfling, he looked so cute when he was mad, trying to puff himself up.  _No, stop thinking about that right now, tell Bilbo before he explodes._ Thorin sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him. Bilbo came over and scrabbled up. 

"Dwarves, as you know, are very complex with love everything that goes with it. We live a long time so, we want to make sure we find the One. Dwarves have a One, that single person that makes them feel whole. Some dwarves go their whole lives without finding their One, a dwarf's One doesn't have to be a dwarf either, which make sit harder to find." Thorin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again. "When a dwarf finds their One.." He paused and fiddled with the necklace he made from his mother's rings. Bilbo waited patiently. "It shows." Bilbo cocked his head. 

"What does?" The smaller man asked, prompting Thorin. The king chuckled and smiled at the necklace in his fingers. 

"Braids are important to dwarves, you know. When a dwarf finds their One, they add and extra braid to their hair, without even knowing it. They say that that dwarf has this, extra light in their eyes. A bounce in their step, this over all joy about them." Thorin smiled at Bilbo, his fingers fiddling now with a braid that has held together by a leather strip. 

"Is that the braid?" Bilbo gestured to the braid in Thorin's fingers. The king nodded. Bilbo reached out and touched it softly, his fingertips grazing the hair. Thorin sucked in a breath. "Was that bad?" Bilbo whispered. Throin's head nodded slowly, his eyes wide. "Sorry." Bilbo looked down and folded his fingers together. 

"It for those not related or married to a dwarf to touch their hair, let alone braids." Thorin informed the blond man. He had dropped the new braid so that it blended with his other braids. "But, I liked it." Thorin leaned in close to Bilbo to whisper this. His words brushed Bilbo's ear, making him shudder. Bilbo turned to face the dwarf king, his ice eyes wide and intense. Bilbo reached out and took one his braids in his hand and examined it. Thorin's breath was short as he watched Bilbo roll it between his fingers, he touched the stone in the braid holder, he played with the hair at the end, flicking it back and forth. He dropped it and watched it swing back into place, clinking the other braids. Thorin's breath shuddered as Bilbo dropped the braid. 

"We're very scandalous." Bilbo quipped. Thorin laughed and fell back. "In hobbit culture, two can only sleep in the same bed if they're married or siblings that must share a bed. Seeing we are neither, extremely scandalous." He added as he leaned over Thorin to speak to the king's face. His long curls created a tiny curtain around his face, framing his cheeks. Thorin reached up and cradled the hobbit's face in his hands. His thumbs stroked across his cheekbones. Bilbo turned his head to kiss Thorin's palm, his eyes shut and his long lashes laying on his cheeks. Thorin brought his head down to his and kissed him softly. It was a soft, lazy day kind of kiss. Bilbo pulled away slightly, his sapphire eyes blinking open. "Scandalous." He whispered.

A knock came at the door that sent Bilbo tumbling off the bed. Thorin burst out in a great laughter as he saw the hobbit on the floor, his eyes huge, cheeks flaming. Thorin slid off the bed and helped the hobbit up. "Come in." He called between laughter. Dís came in, a sneer on his face. Thorin sighed. "Hi Dís." He greeted her shortly. 

"Brother, brother's hobbit." She nodded to them each. Bilbo glared at her.

"You have no right to not respect Bilbo, Dís." Thorin snapped. "He saved our home, without him, we would still be homeless forever." He looked down at Bilbo as he said it, his words softening. 

"Yes yes I know." She waved her hand about. "But he is your's, right?" She cocked an eyebrow. Thorin stayed silent while Bilbo scuffled his feet. 

"Well not technical-" Dís cut Thorin off with a laugh.

"Oh how wonderful! You haven't bedded him yet! Oh brother, you must do that quickly, before he grows bored." Dís winked at them and left, still laughing. Thorin grumbled and rolled his eyes as he watched her leave. Bilbo's face was still bright red so, Thorin kissed each of his cheeks. 

"Did that help?" He asked teasingly, watching his hobbit. Bilbo shook his curl covered head. "I knew as much." Thorin went back to the bed and looked at Bilbo. "You coming?" He asked. Bilbo fumbled about once again. "Just get up here you silly hobbit." Thorin commanded. Bilbo crawled up and laid his head on the king's chest. Thorin's fingers ran through his curls, his other arm holding Bilbo to him. They spoke of many things; dreams, wishes, fears, life, nothing at all. It was wonderful.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cows you guys and ladies! I checked this one day and saw all the kudos and bookmarks and wow. Thank you for all the support, it really does help.

A month past in a quiet way. Bilbo slept in Thorin's room, his clothes hanging up by the dwarf's in the wardrobe. When Thorin did kingly things, Bilbo went off to explore and to speak with the other dwarves. The dwarflings liked Bilbo and loved to play with the hobbit who was only a bit taller than most of them. He taught them hobbit games and told hobbit tales, the dwarflings, in turn, played practical jokes on the poor halfling and scared him with dwarf war stories. Sometimes, Thorin would sneak down and watch his One play and jest with the dwarflings, it always brought a smile to the king's face. The female dwarves also took a liking to the hobbit for he had wonderful advice for keeping a home clean and happy. His recipes were the talk of the mountain's gossip circle. Over all, Bilbo was well liked by the small population under the mountain. 

One rainy morning, Bilbo was playing with the dwarflings. They were playing Dragons and Robbers, a game made up by Bilbo just that morn. He was the dragon and the dwarflings were robbers, trying to steal his treasure, three spice rolls, coveted by the dwarflings. He was curled around them, breathing heavily from his nose, like he was spitting smoke fro them. A young female dwarfling was sent try and take a spice roll. She inched forward, her steps heavy and clumsy, like most dwarves. Bilbo let out a growl as she neared him. It sent her jumping back with a squeak. The other dwarflings giggled at her and urged her forward. Bilbo let out a grumble and rolled onto his side, exposing a single spice roll. The girl inched forward, her hand stretched out. When she was a breath away from the roll, Bilbo flicked his eyes open with a roar and snatched the spice roll up. 

"Who dare enter my lair?" He growled in a deep voice. The girl squeaked louder this time. Bilbo repeated the noise back to her. "What kind of name is that?" He scoffed. The dwarflings giggled. "A whole hoard of ya? Look's like I'll be eating well tonight!" He cried as he tickled the girl. She giggles burst from her in loud gasps. He then went to hoard of dwarflings and roared. He scooped up an armful and carried them back to where the girl was. He tickled them and then finished off the last few. "No one dares enter my lair!" He called to the cavern. The dwarflings giggled and launched themselves at him. "Ah! I'm being attacked!" He fell over, the youngins batting and jumping on him. "Oh the horror! I've been hit in my only weak point!" He gasped out, a hand pressed to his forehead. "I'm dying!" He gasped again. "But you'll never have my treasure." With that, he licked the tops of the spice rolls. The dwarflings cried out.

"No fair!"

"Mr. Bilbo you cheated!"

"Cheated? I am a powerful dragon I do not cheat!" Bilbo roared out, his eyes flicking open again. "You dare to make this accusation?" He stood to his full height of not that impressive. The dwarflings giggled and fake screamed as they scattered throughout the room. "Yes, run away." He chuckled and shook his head. "Who dare to try and take my treasure now?" He demanded. He curled up around his treasure and pretended to sleep. The dwarflings conversed, trying to find the bravest. Bilbo let out fake snores and mumbled in his sleep. He heard the dwaflings gasp and start to mutter more, he suspected there was a brave one in the group. He heard someone come up to him. He opened his eyes are roared, "Who dares disturb my slumber?". He saw Thorin standing over him, a bemused look on his face. 

"Tis I , the great king of the dwarves here to challenge you great beast." Thorin called, playing along. Bilbo sneered at the king. 

"A king you say?" Bilbo gave him a once over. "You don't look very kingly." The dwarflings gasped at his words and giggled. Thorin glared down at the hobbit. 

"A you don't look too fearsome for a dragon." Thorin countered. The dwarflings giggled and cheered on their king. Bilbo faked shock and placed his hand on his chest. 

"You dare insult a dragon? You are asking for death little king!" Bilbo cried, rising to stand. The spice rolls were tucked in his coat pocket. The dwarflings called for Thorin to grab the rolls. "You cannot get my treasure." Bilbo sneered. Thorin cocked an eyebrow. 

"Is that so?" He asked, the two were now circling each other. The dwarflings were shouting at Thorin to get the rolls. 

"It is." Bilbo replied. Thorin stepped forward and hooked an arm around Bilbo's waist. His sneered at the smaller man. He kissed him slowly, sending the dwarflings scattering with cries of disgust. Thorin pulled away and held up the rolls. " Thief." Bilbo whispered. Thorin grinned. 

"That's makes two of us." He pulled away and handed the rolls back to Bilbo. the hobbit stuck them in his pocket and looked up at Thorin. 

"Was there a reason for this?" Bilbo asked. Thorin shrugged. 

"Not really, I saw you playing with the dwarflings and I had a question for you." He said as he looked around the room. It was a sitting room of sorts, it was right off the kitchen and was open which was all the dwarflings needed to play. Like many of the rooms around the kitchen, the ceiling was open to the large cavern above, which was the mountain itself. Those on the higher levels could look down into the rooms and see all that happened. 

"What's the question?" Bilbo wondered. 

"What's your favorite metal?" Thorin asked. Bilbo paused, that wasn't the question he thought. He didn't even know what question he thought of but, that wasn't it. 

"Silver." The hobbit told the dwarf. Thorin nodded. "Why?" Bilbo asked. Thorin shrugged, kissed the hobbit and took off again. Bilbo shrugged and went off to help in the kitchen. 

Thorin walked through the forge, a slowly growing area of the mountain. He soon found a small, abandoned area of the forge. He set down the piece of silver on the table and set to work. He worked till dinner and set it aside for the day. He washed up and went to dining room to eat whatever the kitchen had cooked up that day. His work in the forge never left his mind throughout the meal where he held Bilbo's hand under the table. 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Thorin worked almost day and night for two weeks in the forge. He only stopped to sleep for fours hours; at the request of Bilbo. Once four hours past exactly, he would wake and go back to the forge. Bilbo was worried about the king but, other dwarves told him a lot of forge workers had this exact sleep schedule and lived and worked for many years. Still, Bilbo worried. He tried to bring his lover food but, the other dwarves in the forge intercepted him and took it to the king themselves, they said it was too dangerous for the hobbit. 

At the two week mark, Thorin finished. He swiped the sweat from his brow as he held up what he had made. "Perfect." He whispered. He pocketed it, cleaned and hustled to find Balin. He found the old dwarf in the library. "Balin!" He called through the huge room. A few dwarves shot him an annoyed look before going back to their books. The older dwarf looked up and smiled at Thorin.

"What can I do for you?" The white haired man asked the king. Thorin pulled out what he had made. "Wow, that is beautiful Thorin. I think I"m the wrong person to give it to though." Balin joked. Thorin smirked at him. 

"No, I"m not giving it to you." Thorin rolled his eyes at the other. "I'm giving it to Bilbo. I just wanted your opinion on it."Thorin blushed and looked to the floor. Balin grinned at the sight in front of him; the king of the dwarves, a blushing mess because of a little hobbit. If anyone had said he would see this in his life, he would have laughed at them and asked what they had to drink and how much. 

"I think he'll love it very much. Mostly because you made it and that it came from you. Mahal, he'd love a stick if you gave it to him, Thorin. He loves you, you know that right?" Balin looked at the king. Thorin processed the words and nodded slowly. 

"Yes, I know that. I love him, Balin. Mahal I love him." Thorin sighed loudly as he looked at the books surrounding him. "I just want him to know that." Thorin pocketed the gift again. "So, he'll love it?" He questioned again. 

"Get out of here." Balin snapped playfully, swatting at the king with his book. Thorin yelped as the book struck his bad side. "Get." Balin repeated. Thorin made a rude gesture at him as he left. Balin sighed and dropped into his chair. He shook his head one last time before he went back to his book.

All day, Thorin was nervous, he was trying to find the right time to talk to Bilbo. The gift he had made burned in his pocket, making his hands twitch. He decided on after dinner, before they went to bed. Dinner was nerve wracking for the king. He watched the halfling with an intense look in his eyes that made Bilbo send questioning looks his way. Thorin didn't join the conversation, he just fiddled with his utensils and ate bread. 

As he and Bilbo got ready for bed, Thorin played with the gift in his pocket. After letting his hair out of their braids, he turned to the hobbit. "Bilbo, come here." He called the hobbit over. Bilbo came over happily and stood in front of the dwarf. "I-I have something for you." Thorin reached into his pocket and pulled out the gift. It was a necklace, the chain was made from silver and dwarf iron alternating in the loops. Tiny runes were etched in each loop, not one was the same. The necklace came down to a silver dragon that looked a lot like Smaug. His eyes were tiny Arkenstones. Bilbo gasped as he saw the necklace, he was astounded. That wasn't even the right word He was...he couldn't even find the right word for what he felt. 

"Thorin.." He breathed. He raised a single finger to touch the silver dragon. The metal was cool under his touch. "This is amazing. That word doesn't do it justice. This only took you two weeks?" He cried, looking at the dwarf who nodded. "How?" 

"Dwarves work fast." Thorin chuckled. "I'll help you put it on." Thorin stood up and went around to Bilbo's back. He undid the clasp and draped the necklace over Bilbo's neck. He did the clasp and kissed Bilbo's neck once. "There." He whispered into the hobbit's ear. He stepped back as Bilbo turned around, his fingers on the dragon. "Do you like it?" Thorin asked, slouching to look Bilbo in the eyes. 

"Like it? I love it Thorin. This is the best gift anyone could have ever made for me." Bilbo gushed. Thorin blushed with pride and the praise. 

"I'm glad you love it." Thorin smiled. "Bilbo I-" Thorin swallowed and rubbed at his beard. "I love you." He blurted out, his face bright red. Bilbo stifled a smile. 

"Oh Thorin. You're all blushy." Bilbo grinned, kissing the king's cheeks. "I love you too." He whispered. Thorin pulled his head down slightly so that he could kiss him. They broke apart a few minutes later, both breathless. 

"So, just to recap, you love it, I love you, you love me. Did I miss anything?" Thorin murmured against Bilbo's lips. 

"Nope." Bilbo replied as he kissed Thorin again. After a few minutes, Thorin scooped Bilbo up into his arms and carried him to the bed. Thorin dropped him down and crawled up into the bed. Thorin pulled the hobbit to him. Bilbo had to giggle before they could continue. "We're a very scandalous couple, Thorin." The halfling informed the dwarf. 

"Do I care?" Was Thorin's response before he ducked down to kiss the hobbit again. His large fingers were tangled in the smaller man's curls. Bilbo whined as Thorin tugged them. Thorin chuckled at the hobbit. "Sensitive are we?" He mused. Bilbo's face was flush, he looked like a little tomato. Thorin tugged a little at the hobbit's hair again. Bilbo whimpered. Thorin grinned at him. The tow dove back in with a certain hunger that wasn't there just a few moments ago. This hunger drove them to shed almost all their clothes. All that was left was their necklaces. 

* * *

 

Bilbo woke the next morning, his head on Thorin's chest, his body tucked next to Thorin's. He felt the king's fingers in his hair. He looked down to watched faint morning light refract off the dragon that laid askew on his chest. He listened to Thorin breath, this was what content felt like. He sighed a happy little sigh and shut his blue eyes again, wanting to savor this moment.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love this chapter, I think this is my favorite one so far. I hope you all liked it as well.


	13. Chapter 13

On a particular lazy morning a few days after Thorin gave Bilbo his present, Balin entered the king's chambers. The halfling and king were on the bed; Bilbo reading a novel while Thorin did kingly things. As Balin entered, he grinned at the sight in front of him. His king's hair was down with braids, the hobbit practically in his lap. "Oi, love birds." Balin called, making Bilbo start. He chuckled at the hobbit as his face reddened. "WE got another letter, more dwarves will be arriving in a few days." Balin informed them. Thorin grinned at Bilbo. 

"Wonderful news Balin, tell the others." Thorin suggested as the older dwarf turned around and walked out, muttering something about how he was going to anyways."More dwarves." Thorin repeated. 

"Yes. This is great, Thorin." Bilbo said, setting his novel aside. "We're one step closer to Erebor returning to it's former glory." Bilbo assured the king. Thorin nodded. 

"Yes. I wonder how many are coming?" Thorin picked his quill back up and continued with his kingly duties. Bilbo went back to his novel, his sapphire eyes soaking up the words.

When breakfast was ready that day, Bilbo had to drag Thorin to the dining hall.  When they arrived, dwarves swarmed Thorin, asking about the new dwarves that were coming to the mountain, Bilbo slipped away, looking back to smile at Thorin who sent him an apologetic look. Bilbo settled in his seat next to Thorin's and loaded up on food. The halfling was growing use to dwarf food which was heavy and meaty. Sometimes he longed for hobbit soup, one that was more herbs than meat and potatoes with a few carrots thrown in. His plate had two sausage links, a strange potato mash thing that the dwarves swore by, a couple pieces of toast and finally, his cup of tea. As he tucked into his food, Thorin broke away from the group of dwarves, saying he would answer their questions after breakfast. He kissed Bilbo's head as he past, causing a few female dwarves to aw at them. Bilbo's face blushed the pink he had grown use to. Thorin piled the potato mash onto his plate along with three sausage links stacked next to it. He poured himself a mug of morning ale; which was just regular ale that the dwarf men cried was slightly different.

"Many of them think I know the list of all the dwarves in the next group." Thorin muttered to Bilbo once he took the first sip of his ale. "I wish I did. I don't, sadly." Thorin shrugged and swallowed a spoonful of potato mash. "I hop for more forge men so we can get the forges up and running." Bilbo nodded along as he sipped his tea. He must have made a face because Thorin gave him a concerned look. "You alright?" The king asked. Bilbo nodded and set the tea down.

"Yes, the tea is just off today." Bilbo shrugged and poured himself a glass of water. He took a sip of the water to show Thorin he was fine. The king launched back into his chatter about the new dwarves. Bilbo nodded along and added words to make it look like he was paying attention. He was more focused on the tea.  _Why did it taste strange? The same dwarf makes it everyday, changes the taste every few days. They only have a few choices of taste. It was suppose to be mint today' my favorite. It barely tasted of mint, it tasted of....something else._ Bilbo took another tentative sip of the tea and grimaced.  _Yuck. That is dreadful._ He set the cup far away and finished his toast. He realized Thorin had stopped talking. "Hm?" He looked up at the king. Thorin was gazing at him with a look Bilbo couldn't read. 

"Bilbo, are you okay?" Thorin asked in a low, shaky voice. Bilbo nodded at the dwarf. "Are you sure? You look very pale and you've been looking off into nothing for twenty minutes now. I stopped talking fifteen ago."  _Oh._  

"Yeah, I'm fine." Bilbo waved his hand and stood from his chair. "I think I"m going to go lay down though." Thorin stood and walked with Bilbo back to their room. "Thorin I don't need an escort." Bilbo grumbled as they arrived at their room. 

"I just want to make sure you're fine, you're very pale Bilbo." Thorin repeated. Bilbo crawled up onto the bed and tugged at the blankets weakly. Thorin came over and did the blankets for the halfling. Bilbo thanked him and snuggled deep into the mattress. "The children will be sad with no hobbit to play with." Thorin smiled. His hand ran over the hobbit's curls, smoothing them back from his face. Bilbo hummed as Thorin continued to smooth back his hair. "Try to feel better." Thorin kissed his forehead and walked out. Bilbo sighed and opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. His head really hurt, something felt off though.  _Like the tea,_ he thought.

Suddenly, he felt his stomach roll violently. He leaped from the bed and rushed to the nearest trashcan can. He heaved his stomach into the little metal bucket and dry heaved for ten minutes after. He shuddered and curled up on the hard floor. Bilbo's limbs felt too weak to carry him back to the bed. He managed to crawl to the bed to yank a pillow and one of the smaller blankets off of it though, a few minutes later. He crawled next to the door and struggled to open it. Luckily, a young dwarf was walking past. 

"Mister Bilbo!" The dwarfling cried when he saw the hobbit. Bilbo swallowed and beckoned the youngin to him. 

"Get Thorin, say Bilbo needs him, now." Bilbo told the dwarfling who nodded and raced down the hall. Bilbo crawled back to the trashcan and curled around it, his stomach threatening to heave again. He heard heavy, stumbling steps that could only be Thorin racing to him. 

"Bilbo!" Thorin cried when he entered. Bilbo winced at his loud, deep voice. "Sorry." Thorin muttered as he rushed to the hobbit. "What's wrong?" Thorin asked as he knelt and pulled Bilbo towards him. Bilbo pointed to the trashcan. The king peered in and looked back to Bilbo. "Oh my poor little hobbit. Don't you worry, Oin will take care of you." Thorin scooped him up; blanket and all. Bilbo clung to Thorin's shirt; eyes shut and head curled into the king's chest. Bilbo tried to shut out the voices that followed them to the healer's room. " Oin! Something's wrong with Bilbo." Thorin called as they entered the room. 

"Put him there." Thorin carried Bilbo to a bed and laid him out. Bilbo curled up in a ball, his stomach rolling and roaring in pain now. "Bilbo, Oin needs to figure out what's wrong, uncurl." Thorin whispered, his hand smoothing back his curls. Bilbo straightened as much as he could. Throin muttered praise as Oin checked Bilbo. He looked into his htroat and asked what hurt. Bilbo gestured to much of himself when asked that question. 

"What did you have to eat today?" Oin finally asked. Bilbo rattled off his breakfast. "What to drink?" Oin pressed. 

"He had the tea." Thorin answered. Oin nodded. "He said it tasted off and switched to water." The king explained. 

"I see. The tea must have made him sick. I'll be getting more later then." Oin sighed. "Try this Bilbo, it'll keep you from vomiting more." Oin handed him a cup of sludgy looking tea. "Just don't ask what's in it." Oin joked as he went to make something else. Thorin held the cup and helped the hobbit drink it. Bilbo shuddered as he drank it.

"Yuck." He stuck his tongue out and laid his head back down. Oin gave Thorin instructions to give Bilbo a cup of more sludgy tea every couple hours. Thorin nodded and carried back to their room as another dwarf came stumbling in. 

"You just lay here and get better." Thorin said as he laid Bilbo on their bed. Bilbo wiggled under the blankets and curled back into a ball. Thorin sat next to him silently, his hand in the hobbit's sweaty curls, carding through them, playing with them, anything to keep him distracted. He didn't know when Bilbo fell asleep but, he noticed the little snores coming from the creature under his hand. He smiled softly and laid down next to the halfling. Boots and all, Thorin slept next to Bilbo; ignoring all his kingly duties for the day. 


	14. Chapter 14

After taking a much needed nap with his hobbit, Thorin woke and set to work. He made sure Bilbo had a place to vomit if/when needed, a glass of water in fumbling distance and a cup of that sludgy tea Oin made. Thorin pressed a kiss to the hobbit's clammy forehead. Thorin stalked through the halls of his castle, his eyes two chips of ice. Dwarves leaped back to avoid the storming king. The dark haired dwarf entered the kitchen in a fury. "Where is the tea from breakfast?" He roared; his voice making three dwarves drop cutlery. A younger female dwarf came with the tea pot shaking in her hands. Thorin snatched it from her and whirled back out of the kitchen. He stalked to Oin's place of work. 

"Thorin! How's Bilbo?" Oin asked as the king stepped into his rooms. 

"Still very sick. Here's the tea from breakfast." The king shoved the pot roughly at the older dwarf. Oin took the pot from the king and nodded. 

"Thanks. I'll see what made poor Bilbo sick. But here, give this to him in the meantime; it'll help get the rest of it out of his system." Oin handed the king a few leaves. Thorin nodded to him and left swiftly. When he returned to his chambers he saw Bilbo was stirring. He rushed to the hobbit's side and helped him sit up. "Bilbo how are you feeling?" Thorin asked once he got the hobbit up. Bilbo shuddered and blinked heavily. 

"Weird." He replied. "I feel very weird. Sick." The halfling's words were slurred like he had drank too much ale. Thorin handed him the leaves. 

"Eat these; they'll get the rest of whatever did this to you out." Thorin explained calmly to the sick hobbit. Bilbo nodded and ate the leaves. Thorin grabbed the bucket he set by the bed and stuck it right under Bilbo's nose. The hobbit vomited not thirty seconds later. Thorin rubbed his free hand on the hobbit's back as he did. Thorin set the bucket down once the hobbit finished and helped him drink the sludgy tea. "Come, lay back down." Thorin pushed Bilbo onto his back and dragged the blankets up over him. Bilbo clutched at the blankets and turned on his side. Thorin sat next to him, singing in Dwarvish. His thick, scarred fingers carded through the hobbit's long blond curls. After thirty minutes; the king heard little snores coming from Bilbo. He sat for a little while longer, worry worming in his brain. He knew this wasn't normal sickness; it didn't work that fast. Someone had to have done this to poor Bilbo and the others. He wondered just how many others were sick, he needed to find out. Thorin looked at the sleeping lump that was Bilbo and left to go to Oin's. 

When he entered; Thorin could smell sickness. It smelled like vomit and sweat. He wrinkled his nose and searched for the older dwarf. He found him at a large table at the back of the room. Thorin walked through the maze of cots filled with sick dwarves. He saw a cluster of dwarflings and felt rage spark in his heart. Whoever did this obviously didn't care about anyone but themselves. 

"Thorin, back again?" Oin asked, looking up from his table. The table itself was heavy oak but was covered in everything from books to bowls to jars of only Mahal knew what. 

"How many are sick?" Thorin asked, looking around the room. 

"At least twenty." Oin reported with a sigh. "I also figured out what caused this all." Thorin's ears perked at this. Finally, he would know what caused nineteen dwarves and his Bilbo to be seriously ill. "Black lily root." Oin said. Thorin blinked at him stupidly. "Black lily's are very rare. While the flower is very pretty and harmless the root is poisonous; especially to hobbits." Oin explained. Thorin finally understood.

"So they were aiming at Bilbo?" Thorin asked with anger in his voice. Oin sighed and nodded.

"I'm afraid so. Seems someone doesn't like your little hobbit." Oin shrugged. He poured a cup of his sludgy tea and carried it over to a blonde female dwarf. Thorin's hands curled into fists; he needed to punch something so bad it hurt.  Rage filled every fiber of his being. He grabbed one of the dwarves that were helping Oin with the sick.

"Tell all the healthy dwarves to meet in the dining hall in twenty minutes." He snarled. The dwarf squeaked, nodded and, ran to tell the others. He slammed the heavy door open as he exited the room. he heard it smack the door frame as it shut behind him.  _Not enough._ His feet carried his past his rooms, past the dining hall and all the way down to the training rooms. He found and old practice dummy and slammed his fists straight into its head as many times as he could before he had to go to the dining hall. He felt better leaving the dummy on the ground, a huge dent in it's head. 

Thorin entered the dining hall with the authority of a king. His whole being screamed he was the king and all should bow to him. He walked to the head of the table, the entire room silent except for the breathing of the dwarves. Thorin spun on his heel to face all the dwarves lining the room. His icy eyes scanned each of their faces, leering at them, before he spoke. 

"Today twenty residents of this kingdom fell sick within an hour or two after breakfast. Nineteen of them dwarves and one hobbit." He paused and scanned the room again. "Oin has informed me that the tea served at breakfast today had contained black lily root." He paused again as a few knowing dwarves gasped. He started to pace four steps back and forth. "Some of you know just how deadly this is to hobbits. It isn't as bad to dwarves, thank Mahal. One of you has tried to kill Mister Bilbo Baggins and that is not tolerated. That is murder in the coldest most cowardly way. If you are going to kill someone kill them with your hands not a plant." Thorin shook his head. "I'm giving you the chance to come forward now and your punishment will be banishment. If you don't come clean now and I find who you are; I will have you executed. It is a simple choice really." He stopped and turned to look at them all again. They were all scanning the room; looking at each other. The only one that wasn't was Dís. Thorin narrowed his eyes at his sister. She smiled brightly at him. Thorin rolled his eyes. 

After a few minutes of silence, Thorin spoke again. "No one? Alright then. Anyone who knows anything tell me. I will find out who did this and they will be punished." He warned with a growl. He waved a dismissive hand at the group and stalked back to his room. Bilbo was leaning over the bed; heaving his stomach into the bucket again. Thorin went over to his hobbit to help him. 


	15. Chapter 15

Two days past without a word from anyone about who did this. Bilbo stayed sick as did the nineteen others. Oin said that it had to work its way out of their systems for them to get better. His sludgy tea and other medicines only kept them from getting worse. Thorin abandoned his kingly duties to sit with Bilbo. Another letter was sent that the newest group of dwarves would be arriving in two days. Thorin called for rooms to be cleaned and a large lunch prepared. 

On the day the new dwarves were to arrive, Thorin dressed as a king for the first time in a few days. Bilbo was getting better slowly, he had stopped vomiting the day before which was good Oin had said. He was still weak and pale but, he could stay wake for three hours which was two hours and fifty five minutes more than the last few days. "I hate to leave you." Thorin muttered to his hobbit. Bilbo smiled at him and placed his hand on the dwarf's cheek. 

"Don't worry. This is way more important than a sick hobbit." Bilbo assured him. Thorin sighed and nuzzled into his hand. 

"I know but what if something happens?" Thorin argued which made Bilbo push him with his hand. 

"Nothing will happen. I"ll probably be asleep." Bilbo pointed out. Thorin sighed and kissed his forehead. "Go, great our people home." Bilbo shooed the king away. Thorin nodded and trotted out the door. Bilbo sighed and nested down in the pile of blankets. His fingers tangled in the chain of his necklace as his blue eyes shut. 

Thorin stood with the rest of the healthy dwarves; awaiting their newest arrivals. A group was seen cresting the horizon. "There!" Kíli called, pointing at them. A great deal of muttering rose from the group of dwarves. They were all wondering who would be joining them, if any of their family was making the journey. When the group got closer, the dwarves started to go mad. A few ran ahead to see who was in the new group. One of them came back with a short list of those that they had saw. A few cried with delight when hearing some of the names. Thorin knew a few of them but none of them were close friends to him. He was anxious to get back to Bilbo. 

"Welcome brothers and sisters!" Thorin called as the new group halted in front of him. "Welcome home." He waved his hands to the great doors of Erebor. He led them all in, his group mixing with the new group. He paused and waited for the leader of this new group. He was surprised to see it was a female dwarf that had half shaved, brown hair with a million little braids that made larger braids. She had golden eyes and wore many pelts. 

"Your Majesty a pleasure." She curtsied to him which he felt was strange for her. "My name is Así." She continued. "My group is about twenty strong with two dwarflings. We came as soon as we heard the mountain was reclaimed." Thorin nodded as they came to the dining hall. "Wow." Así gasped. "My father use to live here, he worked the forges. He use to tell my tales about living here." Thorin pointed to the chair next to his. 

"I want to welcome you all again to Erebor; our rightful home. Sadly, not all of our residents could be here since a sickness has spread around. Don't worry it's not contagious. You will meet them all soon. Eat, by jolly. We are home, we are safe." He nodded to them all as they clapped and cheered. 

"I heard a hobbit lives here." Así whispered to Thorin. The king nodded and set a piece of chicken on his plate.

"Yes. His name is Bilbo Baggins. He is sick right now but, he will be better in a week or so." Thorin replied as he poured ale into his mug. 

"I heard he was quite handsome." She sighed. Thorin sputtered at her. Así grinned at him as she took a long drink of her ale. Lunch past pleasantly, the new dwarves telling their tale of their journey here which included fighting orcs. Thorin excused himself as soon as he was done and went back to his rooms. When he entered, he saw Bilbo sleeping soundly. Thorin breathed in relief and sat at his desk. He decided now would be a good time to do some kingly things. He signed papers that needed his name on them and read a few requests made by the citizens of the mountain. A knock at the door pulled him from the papers.  He looked over and saw Bilbo was still sleeping. He answered the door and saw it was Así. "What are you doing here?" He snapped at her as she pushed past him and into his room. She gasped when she saw Bilbo in his bed. 

"Is this Mister Baggins?" She asked, her golden eyes wide as she looked on the hobbit. Thorin felt protectiveness rise in his chest. He moved to Bilbo's side and placed his hand on the hobbit's arm. 

"Yes. He is sick and sleeping. I suggest you go and come back when he is well." Thorin snapped coldly, jerking his chin at the door. Así blinked in surprise.

"Ahh I see. He's your's I can tell. I wan't going to take him just wanted to see." She raised her hands in a submissive way. "I'm sorry for bothering you." She bowed and walked out. Thorin stood there confused. Así was very different from the others. They all wanted to inspect Bilbo and wouldn't just strut into the king's rooms. She was like Dís. He stopped. She was like Dís. She was too much like his sister, scarily so. He looked down to see Bilbo was still sleeping and left the room to find his sister. He needed to make sure of two things.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gor the next two weeks I might not be able to update as much. Sorry! *This chapter has been revised. Not by much but to fit the cannon world better*

Bilbo shut the book he had been reading with a sigh; he had finished it. That was three books done since he had been forced to stay in bed. He set the novel on his done stack and grabbed the next one. He had sent Thorin to the library to grab a large stack of books for him. The dwarf king had gone without hesitation. Bilbo smiled fondly as he thought about it and flipped the book open. 

A while later, Bilbo looked up form the book. Thorin had been gone for a long time. _Maybe he knew a lot of the new dwarves?_ Still, Thorin would have come in to check in Bilbo or leave a note if the hobbit had been sleeping. Bilbo placed a bookmark in the novel and pushed the blankets back. The halfling dropped unceremoniously out of the large bed. He sucked in a sharp breath and steeled himself. The poor blond man hadn't done much walking in the past few days and his legs felt dead. He kept his hand on the bed and hobbled towards the door. He pushed himself away from the bed and stumbled towards the door.  _So far so good._ He opened the door with relative ease and tripped out of the room. Now for the easy part. He kept a hand on the rough wall as he walked down the halls. He decided to check the dining hall first. 

When he arrived though, all he saw were the cleaning crew finishing up.  _Hm. Where else?_ He went to the room where the dwarflings played and saw no sign of the king. He continued on, having to stop every once and a while to rest. He knew Oin and Thorin would have a fit once they knew he was doing this much exercise.  _One last place then back to bed before Thorin beats me there and works himself into a frenzy because I'm not there._ Bilbo trudged to the library and peeked in. He saw dwarves browsing the shelves and the scribes scribbling furiously on scrolls and in books. Nothing out of the ordinary. Bilbo sighed and dragged himself back to the room. 

"Where have you been?" Thorin demanded once the door opened.  _Shit._ Bilbo looked up at the king whose eyes were like blue flames, his hands were cocked on his hips like Bilbo's mother. Bilbo blinked heavily at him. "You look even worse." Thorin's voice softened when he really looked at the hobbit. Poor Bilbo was completely drained of energy, his face almost white. Thorin scooped him up and dropped him on the bed. Bilbo let it happen without any fight which really meant he was tired. Thorin set the book on the bedside table and crawled up with Bilbo. Throin pulled the smaller man into his lap and rested his chin on his head. "Where did you go?" He repeated softer now. 

"Looking for you." Bilbo muttered. Thorin hummed in understanding. "Where were you?" The halfling questioned as he leaned into the king. Thorin sighed and kept quiet for a minute or so. 

"Once we got the new dwarves in a fed, I was speaking with their leader, a female named Así. She is very interesting." Thorin put emphasis on the very. "She pushed her way into our rooms to see you. She reminded me a lot of Dís. Too much. So, I went to my sister to ask if she had another child." Thorin paused again. "Apparently she had a daughter with Kíli's father before having Kíli not long after. She sent Así to one of her friend's who was unable to have a child. after having Kíli." Thorin pauses again. Bilbo decided to interrupt then.

 "So what you're saying is that Dís has three children?" Bilbo asked. Thorin nodded slowly. "What?! Thorin! What are Fíli and Kíli going to do?" Bilbo cried, spinning around to face the king. Thorin pressed his forehead on the hobbit's.

"They don't and won't know. Dís wouldn't do that to her boys. She told me that she sent for her daughter to bring her village here so that they could be a 'family'." Thorin snorted. 

"Thorin, maybe Dís truly wants to be a family with her children." Bilbo suggested. Thorin shrugged; lost in thought. Bilbo sighed at the king. the sigh turned into a huge yawn from the hobbit that brought the king back. 

"Lay down, love." Thorin pushed the smaller man onto his back and yanked the blankets up. Bilbo grumbled at the king. 

"I'm tired of laying down all day." Bilbo complained. Thorin chuckled as he slipped under the blankets with the smaller man. 

"Better?" The dwarf whispered into Bilbo's ear. The hobbit shuddered and turned to face the king. 

"A little." Bilbo purred as he snuggled into the king's chest. Thorin wrapped his thick arms around the smaller creature and rested his chin on the halfling's head. Thorin sung an old dwarf song softly as he waited for Bilbo to fall asleep. After he heard the  little snores from his hobbit, he allowed himself to fall asleep, to forget all the worries from the day. 


	17. Chapter 17

Bilbo and the other sick were given the all clear by Oin two days later. To celebrate, Thorin told Bilbo he was going to show him something that night. Bilbo was giddy with excitement that night at dinner; so much so he barely ate anything. Thorin had to scold the hobbit to eat. Bilbo kept his sapphire eyes down and away from Así during dinner, only looking up when she pulled him into her conversation with Dís. Bilbo could see the similarities between mother and daughter; even more so between her and Kíli. he wondered how the others hadn't seen it yet. Although t o Bilbo; a lot of dwarves looked the same in the face. Maybe that was why. 

As dinner ended, Thorin grabbed his hand and dragged him from the dining hall. "Thorin where in Middle Earth are we going?" Bilbo cried as Thorin led him up what felt like a million flights of stairs. The poor hobbit was huffing and gasping for air at the top. Thorin spun around to face the hobbit.

"Bilbo? You okay?" Thorin asked, coming over to the halfling's side. Bilbo nodded and swiped the sweat from his brow. 

"Fine. I'm fine." He managed to gasp out. Thorin wrapped him in a hug. 

"Sorry love." The king muttered into the hobbit's curls. They pulled away and Thorin grinned at Bilbo. "Follow." He spun around and led Bilbo through a short hall that sloped up slightly. They exited into a large, open space. They were outside and very high on the mountain. The clearing was paved and had a little stone wall around it that was crumbling. 

"Wow" Bilbo breathed as he spun around. Above him was the vast sky, stars twinkling. He looked out and he felt like he could see forever, like he could see the Shire. Thorin came to stand behind him and wrapped his thick arms around his shoulders, resting on his chest. 

"Like it" Thorin whispered into his ear. Bilbo nodded dumbly. "It is highest point you go on the mountain. Well, safely that is." Thorin joked. "My ancestors use to throw the most exclusive parties up here; nobility only. I figured it could be ours now." Thorin proposed. Bilbo nodded again since words still failed him. "Good." Thorin kissed the hobbit's neck, his lips trailing up to his jaw. Bilbo leaned his head back to rest on Thorin's chest. 

"We should fix it up a little." Bilbo finally said a while later. They were laying on a blanket Thorin had brought up that morning. Bilbo's upper body was laying across Thorin's chest, the king's arms wrapped loosely around him. 

"I agree. The walls are crumbling and it isn't as pretty as it was when I was young." Throin replied. They laid in a peaceful silence, eyes turned to watch the night deepen. 

* * *

Así looked behind both her shoulders, searching for anyone coming down the hall.  _No one. Perfect._ The female dwarf slid into the room in front of her and shut the heavy door. She grinned wickedly at the room in front of her. A huge bed loomed in the center of it, blankets and furs piled on it in a haphazard pile. An oak wardrobe was to her right, a door half open to show off the clothes of two clearly different sizes inside. Así moved to the left bedside table. There she saw a small tea tin. She flipped the tin open to see a large clump of tea leaves. She sniffed them. _Green tea._ She pulled her bag around to her front and dug around in it. she found the clump of leaves and compared the two. Her leaves looked similar to the green tea but, had a very different smell. She mixed both leaves together in the tin and snapped it shut. She slid from the room and strode from that room to a room three halls over. 

"Ah daughter. Is it done?" Her mother asked once she entered.

"Yes. Are sure this will work this time? Thorin probably inspects all the leaves now before any tea is drunk in that room." She questioned, peering at her mother. Dís simply snorted.

"Throin is not that smart. He will think that it was a one time thing and that no one would dare try to attack his precious hobbit anymore." The older dwarf waved her hand dismissively. Así nodded. "Go before someone sees you." Dís commanded. Así nodded again and left her mother. She walked quickly but not too quickly back to her room in one of the lower levels.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter than I like. Oh well.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So have you people seen the new Hobbit trailer yet? If you have, what did you think of it?

With Bilbo better, Thorin could focus on his work. After the battle, the mountain and Laketown had a close relationship. The town on the lake was helping the kingdom under the mountain, the two close trade partners. A shipment of produce from the town had come in a few mornings after Bilbo was given the all clear. Thorin suggested the mountain send jewels to Laketown. A small shipment was being loaded up as the king watched, Balin and him discussing which jewels were leaving the mountain. Once the shipment was prepared, it sailed off towards Laketown. Thorin waved to Balin and headed to his study. 

When he arrived he was surprised to Así waiting for him in his chair. "Thorin! I was wondering how long you would keep me waiting!" The female dwarf cried as the king entered. Today, her hair was loose with no braids in it, a very rebellious hairstyle. Thorin sighed and shut the door. 

"What do you want?" He asked in a gritted voice. Así shrugged. 

"Just wanted to chat with my favorite uncle." She said lazily, waving a hand. 

"I'm very busy." Thorin countered. He stepped over to his desk with his hands on his hips, something he had picked up form Bilbo. "Now if you could kindly leave so I can get to work." He made a sweeping gesture towards to the door. The female dwarf grinned and leaped out of his chair. "Thank you." Thorin sat himself in his chair and sighed. He looked up to see Así hadn't left yet. "Please go." He repeated. 

"I have to tell you something." Her smug look had dropped to Thorin's surprise. Así peeked her head out of the door before coming back in. She leaned close to Thorin. "Dís is planning something against Bilbo." She whispered to him. Thorin shot up. 

"What?" He growled, pure anger in his words. Así nodded. Thorin paced the length of his desk, hands folded behind his back, eyes full of fire and fury. "What is she planning?" He demanded, turning to face his niece. 

"To kill him." She replied. Thorin snarled and slammed his fist onto his desk. "She says that the Durin line should not be tainted with hobbit blood." She explained, her voice filling with snark as she repeated her mother's words. 

"When?" Thorin question, each word his niece said was filling him with more and more rage. 

"Soon. Within the week." Así relaid. Thorin nodded and stormed from the room. his feet carried him to his sister's chambers; he didn't remember the journey, all he knew was that he was in her rooms by the time he came back to his body. 

"How dare you!" He cried as he entered. Dís looked up from the journal she had been writing in. 

"How dare I-" Throin cut her off. 

"You know." He growled, his large hands curled into fists. "You know sister. If I should even call you that." Thorin started to pace again. "How could plot to kill Bilbo? My One. How dare you plan to take him from me. And for what?" He demanded. She stayed silent. "Answer me!" He roared, his face was two inches from her's. "Well?" 

"Our bloodline should stay pure." She finally uttered. Thorin laughed cruelly at her. 

"Please. That is not a legit reason and you know it." He spat at her. His sister simply shrugged. "That is treason. I could punish you with death." He warned her. Dís raised an eyebrow. 

"You could," She offered. "but you won't. I'm your sister, you wouldn't kill your sister would you?" She sneered at him, smugness smeared all over her face. He could oh, how easily he could kill her right now. Anger was singing through his veins, begging him to take the sword from his hip through her chest right through her cold, black heart. How easy it would be. No, he wouldn't give her that. Not that simply, quick death. No, he wouldn't. 

"Oh you will pay for your crimes, sister dear. Count on it. I have twenty counts of treason on your pretty little head right now." Thorin sneered at her. 

"Twenty-one." Was all she said. Thorin raised an eyebrow. Panic suddenly washed over his head. He poked his head out of her room. A male dwarf was passing by. He grabbed the male. 

"Check on Mister Baggins and have him stay out of our room. Got it?" He ordered the dwarf. He nodded and sped off. Thorin turned back to his sister who was grinning. "Now, what did you do?" Thorin questioned. Dís flashed a wolf-like grin. 

* * *

 

Bilbo dropped himself onto the bed with a sigh. The dwarflings had taken his energy for what felt like three years. He needed a cup of tea. The blond man reached for his tea tin and flipped it open. He grabbed a few leaves and went to fill a teapot. A rapid knock came at the door as the tea was coming to a boil. 

"Yes?" A male dwarf was standing there, panting. 

"I was told by the king to keep you out of the room." He gasped. Bilbo nodded. 

"Alright well, I'm just making a cuppa." He told the dwarf. He waved him in and pointed him to a chair. "Want some?" He held up a teacup. 

"If that is alright." The dwarf replied. Bilbo nodded and hummed a random tune that popped into his head as he prepared the tea. He set out the sugar and cream for them on the table. Bilbo settled into the other chair and mixed in some sugar and a spot of cream. The dwarf popped a sugar cube into his cup. 

"So, which group did you come with?" Bilbo asked as he blew on his tea. The poor hobbit had a sensitive tongue when it came to temperature. 

"Así's." He replied. Bilbo nodded and played with the spoon that was in his cup. "My name is Ruma." The dark haired dwarf told the hobbit. Bilbo smiled at him as Ruma took a small sip form the tea. He made a face and set the cup aside. "I that green tea?" Ruma asked as he pushed the cup away. Bilbo nodded again, slower this time. "Tastes off, wouldn't drink it." Ruma advised. Bilbo chuckled at the dwarf. 

"It's Shire green tea; it might be different from dwarf green tea." The blond man suggested. Ruma shrugged. Bilbo lifted his cup up and inspected the tea. It looked like Shire green tea with sugar and cream mixed in. The goldenish tea had the little leaves at the bottom. Bilbo blew on his tea again and brought it to his lips. As the liquid hit his tongue, Thorin came bursting in, his nephews on his tail. 

"Bilbo spit that out!" The king cried. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the end.

"Bilbo spit that out!" Thorin cried as the door banged open. Bilbo startled and spat the liquid from his mouth. Ruma shouted in surprise when the tea was spat all over him. He leaped from his chair, teacup dropping from his fingers and shattering on the floor. Bilbo wiped his face off with his sleeves as Thorin hurried over to his side; his nephews pausing by Ruma. "Are you alright love? Did you swallow any of it?" Thorin knelt by his hobbit's side and fretted over him. His large, rough hands were skimming over the hobbit's body, pressing at his stomach and holding his cheeks to peer into his mouth. Bilbo swatted his frantic hands away. 

"Thorin I didn't swallow a drop. Ruma did though." He hitched a thumb at the other dwarf. Ruma's eyes opened wide when he was mentioned. Thorin turned to look at the younger man. 

"Go to Oin. Tell him you drank Bilbo's tea; he'll understand." Thorin ordered. Ruma bowed and raced off to the mountain's healer. Thorin turned back to his hobbit, icy eyes gleaming. "Thank Mahal you didn't drink it. Would've killed you." Tohrin buried his head into the halfling's lap. Bilbo ran his fingers through the king's hair gently. Fíli and Kíli stood awkwardly near the door, awaiting instructions from their uncle. Thorin looked up and turned to his nephews. "Make sure Dís is secured properly. Got it? I don't care if she is your mother, she is a criminal and has committed treason." Thorin ordered coldly. The two nodded and stepped out. Bilbo sent the king a confused look. 

"She is one that tried to kill you. With both teas. She said the Durin line needed to stay pure." Thorin scoffed and rolled his eyes. Bilbo blinked, Dís had tried to kill him. 

"But how could she do that to her brother?" Bilbo whispered. Thorin shrugged sadly. "Was Así apart of it?" He asked. 

"More or less. She planted the leaves in your tea tin. She was the one that brought this to my attention and was the one to save you, basically. I've decided to drop her charges and allow her to remain in the mountain, for now. My sister on the other hand will be tried and convicted, perhaps given the death sentence. I'm not quite sure yet." Thorin explained to the blond man. 

"I see." Bilbo wondered if Thorin really could carry out the death sentence if he called for it or, if his nephews would speak to him afterwards. 

* * *

The day of the trial was started early with a buzzing breakfast. The mountain was alive with gossip that morning. It had been only a week since Dís had been arrested and the mountain was still speculating about why even though Thorin had told them all. Bilbo's favorite reason was that Thorin had caught him and Dís together and arrested her for it. When he told Thorin that, the king had a good laugh about it. Bilbo liked to see Thorin laugh, it made him look younger. 

Bilbo dressed in his best clothes for the trial, luckily a tailor had come in Así's group so he could get new clothes again without trying to hem dwarf clothes himself. He had on dark trousers, a plain white shirt and, a wine red waistcoat. He combed out his newly cut curls. Thorin was in his king robes, his hair in its usual braids, his crown atop his head. The two left their room together, hand in hand. 

When they reached the courtroom, the benches were packed with every dwarf that was currently residing under the mountain. The dwarflings were hushed and kept quiet with little toys and books. The room itself was large, the walls rough rock. A large chair was at the front of the room for the ruler, a smaller chair next to it for the current witness. Another chair was set up in front of the ruler's chair for the one currently on trial. A small dividing wall separated the front of the room from the crowd. This was to protect the one on trial rather than the crowd. 

Thorin took his seat on the ruler's chair while Bilbo sat next to Así and Ruma; the three becoming friends. Dís was brought in by her sons, her head held high, free hair streaming behind her. Her sons sat her gently in her chair and locked her hands and feet down. Dís smiled at her boys who smiled back sadly before going to stand by their uncle. Dís grinned at her brother. 

"Brother dear! Haven't seen you in some time." She croaked at him. Thorin didn't answer. The crowd watched as Thorin stood, sword in hand. Bilbo's sapphire eyes widened, what was Thorin doing?

"Don't worry." Ruma whispered to him. Bilbo sent him a questioning look. "It is just to make her swear to tell the truth, nothing more." The younger dwarf explained. Bilbo nodded, relieved. Thorin set the sword on one of Dís's shoulders.

"Do you swear by Mahal to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" He asked her, his voice booming. She gave a nod. "Say it." The king growled.

"I do." She spat at him. Thorin set the sword on her other shoulder and nodded. He stalked back to his chair and sat. He laid the sword over his lap.

"Now, you are here because you tried to kill Mister Bilbo Baggins twice. You also poisoned nineteen dwarves." Thorin stated. He paused and swept his icy eyes around the room. "Do you deny it?" He asked her. 

"Not one bit." Was her reply. The crowd gasped at her answer and started to whisper. 

"Order!" Kíli demanded, stamping the edge of his sword on the rock floor. The crowd quieted and turned to watch. Thorin was eyeing his sister, trying to figure her angel. 

"You take full responsibility for it all?" He asked her. Dís nodded.

"Yes. I will take any punishment you decide to give me. I take full responsibility for trying to keep my bloodline pure." She answered smugly. Thorin ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"Alright." He sighed. Bilbo watched as Thorin stood from his chair, rising to his full height. He raised the sword that had rested on his lap. "Dís Durin for your crimes of treason I sentence you to death." His voice boomed through the large room. Bilbo cringed, he hated death. He couldn't begin to think what Fíli and Kíli must be thinking at that moment. Dís locked eyes with her brother, two sets of ice colored eyes. Thorin swung the sword cleanly through her neck. A female screamed as her head rolled away. Bilbo had forgotten to close his eyes. Shock ran through his veins, he just watched someone die. His eyes flicked to Fíli and Kíli, their bodies still. He could see tears pooling in the corners of their eyes and he felt like rushing to hug the two of them. He didn't realize he was moving until he saw he had hopped the wall and was collecting the two of them in his small arms. 

"Bilbo what are you doing?" Kíli asked as the hobbit yanked him and his brother into a tight hug. 

"What doe sit look like you git?" Bilbo snapped at him. The two brothers returned the hug, head bent into the hobbit's. Bilbo could feel their tears on his scalp but didn't say a word until they both pulled away from him. He nodded to them and went over to Thorin to do the same. the king did the same as his nephews, his thick arms almost crushed the hobbit in them as he hugged the smaller man. He didn't cry, that would be later in their room. 

"What's done is done." Thorin stated once he pulled away from Bilbo. "No one is to speak to Fíli and Kíli about it. Let them mourn their mother in peace. All are excused." He waved a dismissive hand, sending them all away. The crowd disappeared through the door, whispering and gossiping. The three dwarf men rolled Dís's body in a sheet and carried her outside. Bilbo followed behind. He watched them mourn her body before setting it on fire. He listened to them sing songs in their language. He shut his eyes and listened to the heartache that bled through the song. the barrier of languages couldn't keep that from the hobbit. 

When Bilbo opened his eyes again, day was bleeding into night, stars were mixing with the pinkish orange that was the last bit of day. The last curls of the smoke were dancing in the air. Thorin was seated next to him, his head tilted towards the stars. He saw that Fíli and Kíli were still by their mother's pyre. "How long will they be out here?" He asked softly.

"All night." Thorin replied. Bilbo nodded and sighed. "I wanted her to fight." Thorin said a few minutes later. Bilbo looked at him. "I wanted her to argue till she was blue in the face and all the dwarflings had fallen asleep. I wanted her to keep it going, to keep herself alive for those hours." Thorin's fingers were twisted together. "To try and outsmart me, to outsmart the others." His icy eyes were trained on the stars above. Bilbo waited for him to finish. "She knew she was caught though. She knew she would die. She didn't want to fight anymore, she wanted to go out with dignity. I could tell. I watched the light leave her eyes, she made sure of that." Thorin shuddered and looked down at the ground. "Why did she have to do that, Bilbo?" He questioned, his voice cracking. Bilbo set his hand on Thorin's shoulder. 

"I don't know, Thorin. I honestly don't know." The hobbit collected the dwarf king in his small arms as he fell apart, his large frame wracking with sobs. Bilbo held him, comforting him, riding out the storm with him. He watched the moon rise, a large, pale disk in the dark sky. He watched the last tendril of smoke drift from Dís's pyre, a wail from her boys following it. Bilbo looked down at Thorin who was sniffling now, the tears finally stopped. 

"The last tendril of smoke from a dwarf's pyre is said to be their soul rising to Mahal; it signals the true death of a dwarf." Thorin commented, his eyes trailing the smoke tendril as it lifted higher in the sky. Bilbo shut his eyes and cast them downward, he would not look at her soul drift towards Mahal, that wasn't his to look at. "She is truly gone now." Thorin whispered. Bilbo opened his eyes and looked to Thorin. "Come, we'll leave them to mourn." Thorin tugged Bilbo up and led him back into the mountain. 

Bilbo grabbed Thorin's hand and yanked him away from where they were heading. He led him up the twisting stairs until they came to their area. "Let's sleep up here tonight." Bilbo suggested. Thorin smiled fondly at the hobbit. 

"Lets." Throin found the blanket they had left up here and spread it out. They settled down onto it and watched the stars. They pointed out different constellations their cultures had. "Silly little hobbit that is Uri, the greatest dwarf king to ever live," Thorin argued with Bilbo. The hobbit sighed and kissed the king's nose. 

"That isn't you up there, clearly your texts are wrong." Bilbo pointed out. Thorin laughed his deep laugh and kissed the hobbit. 

"You little flatterer. I am not the best king. My One is a hobbit for Mahal's sake!" Thorin cried. Bilbo looked down. Thorin caught his chin. "I love you, my little hobbit." Throin kissed him slowly, almost painfully slow. Bilbo broke away a minute later. 

"And I love you my king." The two snuggled together and watched the night deepen over the kingdom under the mountain. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this story dear readers and I am sad to say it. This is one of my favorite stories I've written so far. I want to thank you all a billion times for all the support you've given me, it really helped me write this story for you all. I hope you all enjoyed it as I have. thank you all once again,
> 
> Love,  
> Emily


End file.
